JUST LAST SUMMER, Bayern Munich landed the coveted Renato Sanches ahead of Manchester United for €35m.

The following month, the Portuguese teenager stepped up and delivered at Euro 2016 – putting in some eye-catching performances and scored in his side’s quarter-final victory over Poland.

His contribution to the team’s eventual success led to him being named Young Player of the Tournament and it seemed like Bayern had acquired a young player destined for a great future.

But, things haven’t quite worked out for him since swapping Benfica for the Bundesliga.

The 19-year-old made just six league starts for the club and was mostly used as a second-half substitute. He featured more heavily in the Champions League, starting eight times for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

But, he wants more playing time, admitting that he’s been ‘frustrated’ by his lack of minutes at Bayern.

Inevitably, other clubs have been monitoring his situation and are prepared to offer him a lifeline.

Big-spending AC Milan were the first team linked with a move for Sanches but they’re one of many.

According to Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Chelsea are also in the mix.

The two teams clashed in a recent pre-season friendly in Singapore.

“Conte asked for some information about him after Tuesday’s match because he knows he can make the difference on the pitch,” Rummenigge said.

“Ancelotti was pleased with his performance against Chelsea so we can make some decisions on him later. Almost certainly we’ll let him leave just on loan, we still count on him.”

Chelsea have already added Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko to the squad but Nemanja Matic’s future is uncertain with the Serbian linked with moves to Manchester United and Juventus.

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