The Hottest Chelsea Transfer Gossip

Despite all the rumors and bravado in the world's media, it remains a relatively quiet summer at Chelsea with only four players signing on the dotted line.

Andre Schurrle was the first to arrive from Bayer Leverkusen, while Marco van Ginkel soon followed the German by swapping Vitesse Arnhem for Stamford Bridge.

Alongside those young starlets, the Blues have bolstered their goalkeeping ranks with two experienced faces to support Petr Cech—Mark Schwarzer, who arrived on a free from neighboring Fulham and Hilario, who rejoined the club this week on a one-year contract.

There are yet to be any major departures from SW6 either, but things are always bubbling under the surface. As the gossip columns begin to burst at the seams with potential moves, things never seem to be less than one transfer away from exploding into action.

Rounding up some of the biggest rumors where Chelsea are concerned, Bleacher Report takes a look at who could be arriving or departing Stamford Bridge in the coming weeks.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes

Offer for Wayne Rooney to Increase to £40 Million

They have already been rebuffed in one bid for Wayne Rooney this summer, but it seems Chelsea are not giving up the ghost just yet.

In July, it was revealed the Blues had bid a reported £22 million plus David Luiz or Juan Mata in an effort to bring Rooney to Stamford Bridge (via Daily Mail).

This was later denied by the Chelsea hierarchy, who stressed the offer for Rooney was strictly cash only, with no players included in their bid, as explained in the Daily Telegraph shortly after news of the initial transfer talk broke.

Fast forward to August and now the Blues are being tipped to increase their offer for the Englishman to £40 million according to the Evening Standard.

That theory is supported by the Daily Telegraph, who reported in July after Chelsea's first bid that a £40 million offer was being lined up.

Manchester United boss David Moyes remains adamant Rooney is going nowhere, however (via BBC Sport), and with a month to go until the transfer window closes, there promises to be plenty of toing and froing between these title rivals.

Barca Set to Up the Ante in Pursuit of David Luiz

According to The Mirror, Barcelona are ready to offer Chelsea £30 million for David Luiz, apparently a year after they failed to sign him from the Blues.

The report suggests the Brazilian has been a long-term target for the Catalan giants as they are eager to strengthen their resources in central defence.

With Chelsea valuing Luiz at £40 million, it seems Barca will be coming up short with their bid, however.

It may not be just the price Barcelona will have to fight against, with the player himself revealing in the Evening Standard this week that he is looking forward to life under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

“[Mourinho] is a great coach and has credibility across the world. He has won many titles and has the same ambition to win more," Luiz said. “When you have the opportunity to work with a fantastic coach like him, then of course you’re excited.”

The Daily Mail has also suggested that Luiz is a target for Barca, but he is on a wishlist of five centre-backs that also includes Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Daniel Agger and Thomas Vermaelen.

McEachran Poised for Real Sociedad Loan?

He is widely seen one of the most talented of Chelsea's up and coming stars, but it seems Josh McEachran is going to need another loan spell away from the club if he is to continue his development this term.

Last season saw the 20-year-old impress at Championship outfit Middlesbrough, but with competition for places stronger than ever following the arrival of Marco van Ginkel and Michael Essien returning from a loan spell of his own, his path to the first team is looking congested to say the least.

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for McEachran, though, as the Daily Express is reporting La Liga side Real Sociedad want to bring him to the Anoeta Stadium.

The White and Blues finished in the top four last term, so the prospect of Champions League football looms, which could provide the Chelsea upstart with the ideal opportunity to show his paymasters just what he is capable of.

With the club either losing key players or missing out on transfer targets of their own, the report suggests they are now ready to bring Chelsea's Englishman in as a temporary solution to their player shortage.

Valencia Chasing Torres as Soldado Replacement

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £26 million deal with Valencia for the sale of striker Roberto Soldado according to BBC Sport and should that transfer go through, it could kick-start a series of similar moves.

One of those could involve Fernando Torres leaving Stamford Bridge for the Mestalla, with the Daily Mail suggesting Chelsea's current No.9 is top of Valencia's wish list of replacements for Soldado.

The Mail's report adds that Valencia have already contacted the Blues to inquire as to Torres' availability, but are yet to hear anything back.

The Spanish club's current financial plight means anything above £25 million may stretch their resources a little too far, so if Chelsea were to accept a bid, they may have to face losing 50 per cent of the transfer fee they paid Liverpool for Torres in January 2011.

With new manager Jose Mourinho being appointed this summer, there have been question marks surrounding Torres' Stamford Bridge future and he also been linked with a move to Arsenal (via The Mirror).

Chelsea and Arsenal Fight It out for Bayern Munich's Luiz Gustavo

Has Jose Mourinho been telling fibs?

In July, we heard how it was "Rooney or bust" for Chelsea (via BBC Sport), with Mourinho intimating that Wayne Rooney was his only transfer target.

But while that saga rambles on (refer to Slide 1), the Daily Express is reporting Chelsea and Arsenal are caught in a battle for Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo.

With the arrival of Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona, Gustavo's place in Pep Guardiola's side is seriously under threat, meaning the Blues and their London rivals Arsenal are on alert for any developments to his situation.

Metro is also reporting of the interest in Gustavo, who appeared for Brazil at the Confederations Cup this summer.

The paper adds that Gustavo himself has fuelled the flames of speculation, quoting him as saying:

"I am very happy at Bayern, but anything can happen before Aug. 31."

Should it, you can bet the Gunners and Chelsea will be ready to act.