Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Jose Mourinho's Summer Raid
There are few managers that the demanding Stamford Bridge faithful would have forgiven for guiding Chelsea to a trophyless seasonโJose Mourinho just happens to be one of them.
Though the Portuguese boss helped the Blues to the Champions League semi-finals and kept them in Premier League contention throughout, they came away empty-handed.
With striker Diego Costaโs signature secured, per BBC Sport, itโs clear that Mourinho is prepared to use the transfer window to build his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign as he seeks silverware redemption.
Chelseaโs unconvincing strikers were partly to blame for the Bluesโ lack of success last term, but with Costa now in their ranks theyโll hope that their goal-shy days are behind them.
Now, then, the Bluesโ attention has turned to central midfield, and theyโve reportedly made an attempt to hijack Toni Kroosโ proposed move to Real Madridโper AS, via Metro:
The report says that Chelsea have matched Realโs bid of ยฃ19.9 million for the German midfielder and have promised him a whopping ยฃ125,000 per week if he makes the switch to Stamford Bridge.
With Frank Lampard and David Luiz leaving the club, Chelsea suddenly look a little light in defensive midfield, and Kroos is the best man to fill that voidโtherefore allowing new signing Cesc Fabregas to take up an attacking role.
A passing sensation, the 24-year-old has won fans around the world with his vision, awareness and movement, and as OptaJohan revealed, heโs been on the ball more than anyone else in the World Cup for Germany:
It looked for all the world as if Kroos would be making the switch to the Spanish capital, but Chelsea have clearly thrown a spanner in the works as the man himself confirmed that his future is yet to be decidedโper Sky Sports:
"I've said all along I will not make a decision on my future during the World Cup. I canโt comment on every article that comes out in the press. When the World Cup is over, Iโll make my decision and something will be announced. That wonโt happen in the tournament. I wonโt sign anything while Iโm with the squad.
"
With the Germans progressing to the semi-finals of the tournament, Real Madrid and Chelsea have a lengthy wait to see who Kroos will choose, but the fact that the Blues have moved for the midfielder shows their ambition.
Elsewhere, the Filipe Luis transfer saga goes on as Mourinho looks to bring in a replacement for Ashley Cole at left-back.
As Marca reported, Chelsea recently made a bid of โฌ15 million for the Atletico Madrid star that came up all of โฌ9 million short of the 28-year-oldโs buyout clause.
Having made it clear that he wants to leave the club, Luis now needs to prize โฌ9 million out of Chelsea to spark a move to west London, and thatโs something heโll be desperate to do after breaking down relations with Atleticoโas football journalist Ben Fairthorne remarked:
However, Chelsea appear reluctant to part with the money needed to bring Luis to Stamford Bridge, while Atletico are being equally stubborn on the negotiation front, meaning that the Blues may not get their man.
At 28 years of age, Luis wouldnโt exactly be a long-term solution to Chelseaโs left-back problems and they may be better off going with the likes ofย Marcos Rojo, who has also been linked, per Portuguese newspaper Abola (h/t Metro).
Preparing for the future is something that Mourinho has always been good at and paying out โฌ24 million for a player whose best years are behind him isnโt something the Portuguese manager will likely be sucked into.
Though Luis could be a no-go for Chelsea, signing Kroos would be a huge step in the right direction for them.
Heโs the kind of player that dictates matches, keeps the teamโs shape and adds stability, which is exactly what the Blues need if theyโre to win silverware in 2014/15.
The wait now begins to see which avenue Kroos will take, but the mere fact that Chelsea are being linked to his signature suggests that the summer spending is far from over at Stamford Bridge.
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