Chelsea Transfer Rumours: West Ham Return Is Demba Ba's Best Option

With the return of Romelu Lukaku from a season-long loan and constant rumours linking Manchester United's Wayne Rooney with a move to Stamford Bridge, Demba Ba's Chelsea future looks in doubt. And a return to West Ham is just the thing he needs.

The Senegal striker signed for West Ham in January 2011 on three-year deal following a contract dispute with German side Hoffenheim and a failed medical at Stoke City, as the BBC reported. 

In an interview with the BBC, he said:

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It was a long story but now I'm happy because it had a really good end and I am glad to be here...I am going to give everything to West Ham United.

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And the striker certainly kept to his word. Well, almost.

Ba scored seven goals in 12 games for the Hammers and became an instant hit with the Upton Park Crowd, but he swiftly moved on following their relegation from the Premier League.

The 28-year-old forward invoked a release clause in his contract that meant he could leave the East London-based side on a free transfer should they suffer relegation to the Championship. Ba turned down a £50,000 signing on fee and £55,000 per week to stay with the Hammers, according to The Guardian, before eventually signing for Newcastle United. 

And in typical Demba Ba fashion, more goals came. And so did chances to better his career, as he became the first ever Senegalese player to sign for Chelsea in January 2013.

Scoring two goals on his debut in a 5-1 FA Cup win over Southampton, Ba looked like he was going to reach the dizzy heights of which he would have hoped. However, the striker slipped further and further down the pecking order at the West London club, with £50 million signing Fernando Torres preferred.

Ba has featured just 17 times for Chelsea since his move in January, and with rumours linking further strikers to the Blues—such as Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, as The Guardian reports—it's difficult to see the Senegal international's chances improving this campaign. 

However, a fourth move in three calendar years could be just what Ba needs to restart his career, with the Mirror reporting that former club West Ham look set to offer the man a move across London.

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We exclusively revealed West Ham’s original bid to take Ba back to Upton Park, where he played in their 2010-11 relegation season, in June.

They switched their attentions to the Senegal international after failing with an attempt to take his Chelsea team-mate Romelu Lukaku on loan.

Ba scored seven goals in 12 games for West Ham, his first club in English football, before moving on to Newcastle and then, last January, to the Blues.

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The Hammers have made a host of signings already this summer, and with the likes of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing now at the club to provide support, Ba could quickly become a Hammers hero.

Again.