Chelsea Transfers: 5 Players Blues Can Pursue If Luka Modric Deal Falls Through

Chelsea finished second in the last league season, and the fact that they did not win any trophies despite the big money signings of Ramires, David Luiz and Fernando Torres led to the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.

With Andre Villas-Boas taking over as the Chelsea manager, he knows the pressure at Chelsea and will look to bring trophies to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have been linked with a number of players in the summer but it seems like signing a creative central midfielder could be the priority of Andre Villas-Boas.

According to the Daily Mail, the Blues have shown considerable interest in Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, but Tottenham are extremely reluctant to sell the midfielder.

Modric has been extremely influential for the Spurs but is interested in a move to Chelsea and has handed in a transfer request to force through his move to Chelsea. However, the Spurs maintain their stance that they want to hold on to the midfielder despite strong interest from the Blues.

Chelsea have already offered both £22 million and then an improved £27 million bid for the Croatian international, and a figure of £35 million has been mentioned as something which could tempt the Spurs to sell the midfielder.

However, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has insisted that could be rejected by the club as they look to hold on to the midfielder.

If Chelsea cannot sign the midfielder despite their efforts, these are five midfielders who could be targeted by the Blues in the summer.

Wesley Sneijder

Chelsea will be considering creative midfielders, who can make the difference for the Blues in the next season as they target major trophies in England and Europe.

Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder will be an excellent signing for Chelsea if they can manage to convince the Italian club to sell and also, persuade the Dutchman to join the Blues.

Sneijder had a fantastic 2009-10 season when Jose Mourinho was the manager of the club, and the club won the treble in which he played a very important role.

However, since the departure of Mourinho to Real Madrid, Inter Milan have not had a good season and will be looking to add quality players in the summer.

Inter Milan have already signed Ricky Alvarez from Velez Sarsfield and will be reluctant to sell Sneijder as they look to win the Serie A title in the 2011-12 season.

However, if Chelsea makes a huge offer for the influential Dutch International, there is a possibility that Inter will consider selling the 27-year-old to the club.

Ricardo Kaka

Ricardo Kaka is one of the world's best attacking midfielders, but injuries in the last two seasons have meant that he has made only 39 league appearances in the last two seasons for Real Madrid, who signed him for a record fee.

The midfielder was also not a part of the Brazil national team, which were knocked out of the Copa America recently, and is looking to regain his form in the next season.

The quality of the midfielder is undeniable because the former AC Milan midfielder has proven in the past that he is one of the best in the world. However, injuries are the biggest concern for the midfielder because he has been hampered by injuries since he joined Madrid in 2009.

Mesut Ozil, who was signed last summer, has been very impressive in his first season at the club and is currently a regular in the side.

Also, Nuri Sahin who was signed recently by Madrid can also play in the attacking midfield role and there is a possibility that Kaka might be relegated to the bench.

Kaka, who is currently 29 years old, can fetch a decent transfer fee if he is sold in this summer because as he enters the 30s, there will not be many clubs who will pay big money to sign the Brazilian.

However, Jose Mourinho might be inclined to hold on to the midfielder because Kaka is a player who can make the difference in a difficult game. As Madrid look to end the dominance of Barcelona, Kaka could be vital in helping the Los Blancos beat the Blaugrana in the next season.

Javier Pastore

According to ESPN, Chelsea are interested in a deal for Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore, and a deal for the midfielder appears to be gathering pace as Palermo vice-president Guglielmo Micciche has claimed it's "very probable" that the midfielder will join Chelsea.

Pastore has been linked with a host of top clubs such as Roma, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Manchester City, but the Blues are now favourites to land him.

''It's very probable that Pastore will go to Chelsea, but I think there are other top-level teams who are after the player," Micciche told Radio Sportiva. "He wants a big club and there are advanced talks with very important teams. His agent [Marcelo Simonian] is working very well, and if someone pays the right money then we will be happy to sell him. If not, we will keep him."

Chelsea are looking for a creative midfielder, who can be a part of the team in the long term as well and Pastore is a player who suits the bill. The midfielder has been very impressive since he moved to Palermo and has also represented Argentina in major international tournaments.

Though Palermo will not be ready to lose the midfielder on a bargain price, Chelsea have the financial strength to meet the club's valuation of their valuable midfielder.

If a move for Luka Modric does not go through, Pastore appears to be the most likely midfielder to be targeted by the Blues, and if they can sign him, it will certainly improve the quality of the team.

Joao Moutinho

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea could move for Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho, who could be free to move in the summer because Steven Defour could be set to join the Portuguese club according to reports.

The Portugal International was one of the most important players in the last season for Andre Villas-Boas at Porto, and the Chelsea manager could consider signing him at Stamford Bridge.

Though he is a different midfielder as compared to players like Javier Pastore and Luka Modric, he can play in a number of positions and with Frank Lampard, still a regular in the team, Moutinho could provide good depth to the team.

Also, he can be employed as a central midfielder, which means he can replace Michael Essien, who has been ruled out for the next few months due to injury.

Villas-Boas has worked with the midfielder, which means that it could help Moutinho adjust better to the manager's style of play, though it could be different at Chelsea. Though he was signed at a normal price by Porto in the last season from Sporting CP, he could be valued at £30 million, a price which could be considered as steep by the Blues.

Also, the Europa League winners will be very reluctant to lose one of their most influential players and could refuse to sell the midfielder even if Chelsea make a big money offer for the midfielder.

Samir Nasri

According to the Telegraph, Chelsea could also be interested in signing Arsenal's Samir Nasri, who has been linked with Manchester United and Manchester City.

The Blues are looking for a creative midfielder, and Nasri could be one of the players targeted by the Blues considering that his versatility could also provide other options in midfield.

Nasri has only one year left on his contract, and though Arsenal are reluctant to lose one of their best players, Chelsea could entice the Gunners to sell the midfielder, if there is a big money offer for the Frenchman.

According to Sky Sports News,  Wenger has insisted that he would not sell, even if it meant him leaving for free next summer. "It is not completely sorted that Samir will stay, I want him to stay and he knows that," said Wenger. "Hopefully we can sort that out in the coming weeks."

There still exists the possibility that Wenger might sell the midfielder, who was very influential for the Gunners last season because if the Frenchman is a disruptive influence, then there is every possibility that Wenger will sell the French international.

Nasri scored 15 goals in the last season despite not being in good form in the second half of the season, and the influential Frenchman was one of the main reasons why Arsenal were placed firmly in the title race at the start of the second half of the season, where things went wrong for the Gunners.