21 June 2007, by Sean Gillen & Tom Kundert

Manchester United and Chelsea in battle to win Ze Castro signature

But Atletico determined to keep hold of rising star

Premiership giants Manchester United and Chelsea could be set to battle it out for Atletico Madrid defender Ze Castro, according to reports in Portugal.

A source on the Chelsea board told Portuguese regional paper Diario As Beiras that several English clubs have shown their interest in the 24-year-old, with offers arriving before the end of the Spanish league season.

Jose Mourinho’s club had their recent approach for Ze Castro firmly rejected by Atletico, who are determined to hang on to the man they signed from Academica de Coimbra last summer.

According to the article, Atletico have been fending off interest in the Portuguese from several clubs, with director-general Miguel Angel Gil saying he will do everything to keep Castro and predicting that next season the player will blossom into one of Europe’s top centre-backs.

As well as Newcastle United, who were linked with Ze Castro before he moved to Spain, Premiership champions Manchester United are also monitoring the former Portuguese under-21’s situation.

Castro himself is believed to be excited at a possible move to join the ever-growing contingent of Portuguese players in the Premiership, which now includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Ricardo Carvalho and Ricardo Rocha.

Ze Castro made 25 appearances for Los Colchoneros last season, scoring two goals. In fact, the defender did such a good job of covering for injured captain Pablo Ibanez, the Spanish international spent a period on the bench after returning to full fitness.