Chelsea have initiated formal contact with Como over Martin Baturina, the €80 million-rated midfielder whose breakout season under Cesc Fàbregas has made him Serie A's most-watched young asset. Manchester United are also pursuing the 21-year-old Croatian, setting up a direct bidding scenario between two clubs whose transfer strategies have recently diverged—Chelsea toward high-volume youth accumulation, United toward fewer, more expensive signings under new technical director Christopher Vivell.
Baturina has recorded 7 goals and 4 assists across 25 appearances for Como this season, numbers that understate his deeper value: progressive carries from the half-turn, set-piece delivery, and the spatial intelligence that explains why Fàbregas deployed him as a false nine in three separate matches. Como sit 11th in Serie A, safe from relegation, which removes the usual selling pressure. The Lariani are controlled by the Hartono brothers, Indonesian tobacco billionaires whose net worth exceeds $47 billion and who view Como as a long-term branding vehicle, not a distressed asset. That financial position allows sporting director Carlalberto Ludi to set a firm number and wait.
Chelsea's contact—placed through co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart—does not yet constitute a formal offer, but it establishes dialogue ahead of United's expected bid. The distinction matters because Como prefer to negotiate with one club at a time, a courtesy extended to serious buyers who engage early. United's interest is real but complicated: INEOS has imposed a sub-24 age profile for major signings, and Baturina qualifies, but the club already committed €50 million to PSG's Nuno Mendes and are sizing a €70 million move for Sporting's Geovany Quenda. Stacking another €80 million midfielder onto that ledger requires either selling Scott McTominay to Napoli for €30 million or abandoning the Quenda pursuit. Chelsea face no such constraint—Clearlake Capital's model is volume, not selectivity, and the club has already banked €45 million from Cesare Casadei's sale to Lazio and Armando Broja's €28 million move to Everton.
The €80 million valuation is not arbitrary. Como rejected Napoli's €65 million probe in January, and Ludi has told intermediaries that Baturina will not move for less than Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's €75 million exit fee, plus a premium for dealing mid-season. Baturina's contract runs through June 2029, signed last summer with a €500,000 net annual salary that Como can easily afford to maintain. There is no release clause. The player's agency, Stellar Group, also represents Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer, which gives Chelsea a familiar negotiating channel but no discount—Stellar's incentive is to drive the fee higher, not to facilitate a quick sale.
What matters for Chelsea is how Baturina fits under Enzo Maresca's possession system. The Italian coach already operates with two playmakers—Palmer in the right half-space, Enzo Fernández deeper—and adding Baturina requires either moving Palmer wider or deploying Baturina as the left-sided eight, the role Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was signed to fill but has struggled to cement. The €80 million outlay would make Baturina the club's fourth nine-figure midfielder since 2022, after Fernández (€121 million), Moisés Caicedo (€116 million), and Roméo Lavia (€62 million). That redundancy bothers some inside Stamford Bridge, but Clearlake's philosophy is that squad depth is a liquidity problem, not a sporting one—if Baturina doesn't work, he's an asset to be sold at 23 with four years remaining on his deal.
United's calculus is simpler. They need a creative midfielder who can operate as Bruno Fernandes's deputy or partner, and Baturina's two-footedness and set-piece quality check both boxes. But INEOS has also installed hard budget caps: no deal above €100 million without CEO Omar Berrada's personal sign-off, and no agent fees exceeding 10% of the transfer sum. Stellar will want closer to 15% on an €80 million deal, and Como will insist on structured payments that front-load at least €50 million in the first 18 months. United can meet those terms, but only if they defer other targets.
Como's leverage comes from time. The summer window doesn't open for four months, and Baturina will play at least 10 more Serie A matches, likely adding to his output. If he scores twice more and Como finish ninth or higher, Ludi can revise the asking price to €90 million and point to market precedent—Atalanta extracted €85 million from PSG for Éderson last summer, and he had fewer goals and no international pedigree. Baturina already has 14 senior caps for Croatia and started their Nations League knockout against France.
The next concrete step is whether Chelsea submit a written offer before the April international break, which would force United to either match or walk. Como have told both clubs they will not entertain loan-with-option structures or performance bonuses beyond €5 million. They want clean cash, and they want it wired in thirds: €30 million on signature, €30 million in January 2026, €20 million in 2027. Chelsea can meet that schedule without touching their credit facility. United would need to sell first.