ISL 2018: Bengaluru FC's Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh attract interest from East Bengal
Sunil Chhetri had impressed one and all with his exploits for both club and country have attracted a lot of interest from rival clubs. Among the rival clubs, Kolkata giants East Bengal have shown some active and are even said to have approached Bengaluru FC for a possible transfer.
The India captain, however, has a contract with Bengaluru FC for another two seasons, and any transfer would require the Red and Golds to pay a transfer fee.
Although Chhetri is 33-years-old now, he is still recognised as one of the best strikers in Indian football at the moment. According to Transfermarkt.com, Chhetri is worth around Rs 2.2 crore (£248,000), though it may take more than that to convince Bengaluru FC to sell their star forward.
Incidentally, the Red and Golds are also said to have shown an interest in Bengaluru FC's 22-year-old sensation Udanta Singh, Sportskeeda has learnt.
The Manipuri, who is fondly called 'Flash' by his teammates and the fans, had finished the 2017/18 ISL season with the joint highest number of assists (seven), alongside FC Pune City's Brazilian star Marcelinho.
The combination of Udanta down the right flank, and Chhetri in the middle (or down the left) has worked wonders for both Bengaluru FC and the Indian national team so far, and a double transfer for the duo could benefit East Bengal, who are looking to strengthen their team after receiving investments from Quess Corp.
The Red and Golds have also been liked with moves for other top foreigners like Panama World Cupper Gabriel Gomez, Rubin Kazan's Iranian forward Sardar Azmoun and Watford FC's Nordin Amrabat. Along with that, the Kolkata outfit has also been linked with a move for former Real Madrid winger Robinho.
If the moves for Chhetri and Udanta do go through, it will see the India captain return to his former club, where he had played during the 2008/09 season. Incidentally, Chhetri and Udanta had also played together at Mumbai City FC in the 2016 edition of the ISL, when they were loaned out by the Blues.