Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Why Blues Must Deal for Luiz Gustavo

Luiz Gustavo has been a recent subject of interest from Chelsea, according to TalkSport.

That move may be dependent on the future of Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel who has been linked with a move to Galatasaray and Monaco. Mikel has been in London for six years, but is eyeing up a switch away from the club.

The 25-year-old has been given the go-ahead to leave the club this summer; he is returning from Brazil’s Confederations Cup-winning camp. A bid of €18 million has been made for the FC Bayern midfielder, according to Futbol Mercado, which will be assessed by Guardiola and sporting director, Matthias Sammer.

Chelsea will have competition for Gustavo’s signature in the shape of Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg. Gustavo “meets the criteria” according to sporting director Klaus Allofs, but the Brazilian will be looking for a move to the English Premier League.

Gustavo may have been surplus to requirements in last season’s incredible, record-breaking side, yet he would’ve been a regular acquisition for most other top European clubs.

The Brazilian is combative, very athletic and excellent at disrupting attacking flows through positional play and defensive strengths. Gustavo is also technically sound, keeping the ball adeptly, especially in short-range passes.

He has a 93% pass completion ratio from 930 attempts with 42.7 on average per match, according to WhoScored.com.

At just 25, Gustavo still has yet to peak at the highest level, despite making 16 league starts last season in the Bundesliga. There is more to come, and Jose Mourinho could influence Gustavo enough to make him a terrific Premier League player.

He has two years left on his FC Bayern deal—but has little chance to getting involved in the first-team.

The midfield list is as follows: Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos, Franck Ribery, Thiago Alcantara, Xherdan Shaqiri, Mario Gotze, Emre Can and Mitchell Weiser.

Martinez has been talked about glowingly as a central-defender which leaves Kroos as the potential deep-lying midfielder in Munich next season. Gustavo would likely be frozen out this season, and Chelsea seems like an interesting move.

The return of Kevin De Bruyne means Ramires will likely play centrally—as he did in 1-0 win over Signha All-Stars, but the box-to-box Brazilian needs his compatriot to complement his attack-minded pressing.

FC Bayern’s decision to let him go isn’t a sign of their strength. After all, Gustavo has shown Bundesliga viewers his capabilities, including in their last season league win in 2010.