Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Fabio Coentrao, Didier Drogba, Karim Benzema, Neymar
By on June 28, 2011
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Chelsea confirmed the appointment of their new manager Andre Villas Boas recently and it will help the club that the former Porto manager is accustomed with the club having worked with Jose Mourinho when the current Real Madrid manager was in-charge of the club.
Villas Boas is a young, bold manager who has established himself as one of the best young managers in the game by guiding FC Porto to success in domestic and the European competitions.
However, he will understand better than anyone else that the Chelsea job is one in which he will have to handle immense pressure. Villas Boas has shown that he is confident and Chelsea supporters will hope that he can help them win trophies in his first year at the club. He inherits quite a strong team, which requires some injection of new players but he will be aware that some of his main players are entering the twilight of their careers.
Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba are three players who in their thirties but they have contributed immensely to the success of the club. So, the manager will have to ensure that he finds the right replacements when these experienced players are not capable of playing at the top level.
Chelsea have been relatively inactive in the transfer window so far but with the announcement of their new manager, the next few weeks could be of hectic activity with a number of players coming in and also it is expected that some of the players leave the club. This article is on some of the latest media gossip relating to Chelsea FC.
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According to the Mirror, Spanish Champions Barcelona rejected a £27 million offer from Chelsea for their striker David Villa and refused to negotiate a deal for the Spanish International. Villa has formed an impressive partnership with Lionel Messi and Pedro, which has contributed to their success in the La Liga and also the Champions League.
However, Chelsea could also be interested in Alexis Sanchez who is reportedly a target for Barcelona but the Udinese winger is interested only in a move to Barcelona and could possibly reject offers from England though Manchester City and Chelsea are prepared to bid more than the Blaugrana.
David Villa and Fernando Torres have an excellent understanding from their time together in the Spain team and a player like Villa could help Torres regain his confidence and find his form for Chelsea. Torres has suffered from numerous injuries in the last year but with a summer's rest, he could be rejuvenated.
It is understandable that Barcelona do not want to lose Villa having struggled to adjust their style their play to suit Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Villa is a player who can adjust easily to Barcelona's style of play and his impressive performances have meant that he has established himself as a regular in the team.
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According to TalkSPORT, Chelsea winger Florent Malouda is set to lead the list of departures from Stamford Bridge under new manager Andre Villas Boas. Malouda had an excellent start to the last season but he failed to perform when Chelsea lost some of their big players like Frank Lampard and John Terry due to injuries and as a result, the Blues endured a horrendous run of results.
Malouda's likely destination is Italy and AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma have been alerted to the availability of the France International in the summer. There is expected to be a lot of transfer activity regarding Chelsea from now till the start of the season but Malouda could be a part of the group which moves out of Chelsea.
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According to Tribalfootball.com, Chelsea have already contacted Real Madrid over the possibility of signing striker Karim Benzema, whose place could be under threat due to any new signings. Benzema did not have a good debut season for Real Madrid but he was prolific in the second season but could be targeted by other clubs if Real Madrid do sign another striker.
According to the El Mundo Deportivo, the Blues have already offered €20 million for the France International but it is likely that Madrid will hold out for more if they are prepared to sell the striker. They will not sell for anything less than €35 million and Chelsea could return to the table with an improved offer.
However according to Daily Mail, Chelsea are closing in on Radamel Falcao for a deal worth around £26.5 million and the Colombian striker has also worked with new Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas during their time at FC Porto. If the Falcao deal does go through, then there it is probable that they would not be ready to spend big money on another striker with Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba in their squad.
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According to the Daily Mail, Olympique Marseille are interested in a move for Didier Drogba who could move on after a long and successful spell with Chelsea. Many Chelsea fans still regard Drogba to be important to the team and could find his scoring form in the next season. However, the 33-year-old could leave the club if the Blues can sign new striker(s).
Marseille president Vincent Labrune told French newspaper La Provence: "The question is whether in terms of salary, I do not mean the transfer, Marseille have the means for four years to pay Didier Drogba. I answer "yes". But we cannot afford 11 Didier Drogbas. So is it possible? Yes, but in the case of departures."
In another report on the Daily Mail, Galatasaray will allow Arda Turan to join Chelsea for £7million plus Didier Drogba. With Stamford Bridge target Turan rated at around £18m, the deal values Drogba at just £11m - a meagre offer likely to be rebuffed by Chelsea.
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According to the Mirror, Chelsea, Manchester City and three other clubs have triggered Santos' striker Neymar's release clause of €45 million and have obtained the permission of Santos to talk to Neymar and his representatives. Neymar have been long term target for Chelsea and they had bids for the striker rejected by Santos last season.
However, this season they have a chance to sign the striker but will have to beat competition from many European clubs who are interested in the striker. Fernando Torres was signed in January but never really got going in the 2010-11 season. However, with rest in the summer, the Spaniard will be back to full fitness and could find his form again in the next season.
It helps for Torres that Villas Boas is an attack minded manager and the Spaniard should get another season to prove that he can be prolific for Blues. Neymar is one of the creative players who could get the best from the Spaniard if he can form a partnership with the former Liverpool striker.
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According to the Mirror, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas and mentor Jose Mourinho are ready to lock horns over Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao. Real Madrid have been actively pursuing Coentrao for several weeks with Benfica having already rejected a cash-plus-player deal. The versatile defender has been impressive for his club team and also for Portugal and has attracted the interest of many top clubs.
Coentrao, however, is understood to have a £27million buy-out clause which Villas-Boas is ready to activate. If Chelsea are successful with their attempt to sign the left back, it could mean that Ashley Cole could exit the club and it is likely that Mourinho would be interested in the England International with whom he has worked in his time at Chelsea.
However, another option for Chelsea if they sign Coentrao is to use him as the left winger where he can provide good width and still have Cole in the team. When Cole is not playing at the top level, then they could use Coentrao in his natural position as a left back.
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