Boubakary Soumare will pick between Manchester United or Chelsea before the January transfer window slams shut, according to reports.
The 20-year-old Frenchman is expected to be on the move this month, although Arsenal, Real Madrid and Valencia are no longer in the mix to land him.
Soumare, a box-to-box midfielder who has been compared to compatriot Paul Pogba, has two and a half years left on his contract at Lille.
According to Sky Sports, both Manchester United and Chelsea have held talks with Soumare regarding a summer switch. But a transfer will not go through until after Lille take on Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain on January 26.
Soumare has until this date to chose between Manchester United and Chelsea - should the two Premier League teams remain keen on trying to sign the Frenchman.
Manchester United have made no secret of the fact they're in the market for a midfielder this month.
They've been strongly linked with Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes and are expected to complete a transfer in the region of £50million for the Portuguese.
The latest in the transfer story is that
Sporting and the Red Devils are yet to agree on a fee, and Fernandes is expected to make one last appearance for his current club this Friday, when they take on bitter rivals Benfica.
