Chelsea Reportedly Lead Luke Shaw Chase Amid Manchester United Exit Rumours

Chelsea reportedly lead the pack of suitors looking to sign left-back Luke Shaw this summer after the Manchester United defender's future has again been cast in doubt following criticism from manager Jose Mourinho. 

The Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler and Jack Gaughan reported Chelsea are in pole position to land the former Southampton star almost four years after losing out to the Red Devils when they signed him in a £27 million deal.

Shaw was substituted at half-time in Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Brighton & Hove Albion, after which Mourinho explained his decision, per BBC Sport: "Luke, in the first half, every time they came in his corridor, the cross came in and a dangerous situation was coming. I was not happy with his performance."

That same report said Shaw "looks set to leave" Old Trafford after enduring a whirlwind relationship with Mourinho, and Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol provided more evidence to suggest that's the case:

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail reported Shaw's United team-mates were left "aghast" at Mourinho's public shaming of Shaw. Jamie Jackson of the Guardian reported he may even run down the final 15 months of his contract in a bid to leave on a free transfer in 2019.

Although it's mentioned the defender is yet to make a final call on his future at Old Trafford, he could expect more interest as a free transfer and would be liable to court a substantial signing-on fee.

Louis van Gaal was at the helm when the Red Devils completed a long-protracted move for Shaw in June 2014, but he and Mourinho have had a rocky relationship since the latter's 2016 arrival, as shown by Goal:

Chelsea only recently signed Emerson Palmieri from AS Roma as back-up to Marcos Alonso in the left wing-back role, but the opportunity to sign boyhood Blues fan Shaw appears to have piqued their interest nonetheless.

Ex-Southampton academy director Jason Dodd recently spoke on BBC 5 live Sport and indicated Mourinho's man management of the player isn't where it should be:

The Red Devils chief plays a risky game in challenging Shaw publicly, particularly given Chelsea have been one of the clubs frequently linked throughout his Old Trafford troubles.

BBC Sport confirmed on Monday that United had opted to extend makeshift full-back Ashley Young's contract to the summer of 2019, and blogger Liam Canning highlighted evidence to suggest he's thriving in his adopted position:

It seems likely Mourinho will remain at the Old Trafford helm beyond this summer, meaning Shaw's tenure at the club could be coming to a close, although his employers won't want to sell to such a close rival.

The competition at left-back is already fierce at Stamford Bridge, but Mourinho's handling of the player means even fighting Alonso and Palmieri for a place may be preferred to the treatment he's receiving at United.