Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Must Entertain January Offers for Ramires

Real Madrid are reportedly planning on making a big offer for Chelsea star Ramires in the January transfer window, and Jose Mourinho has to entertain the idea of selling the midfielder for the right price.

talkSPORT has learned Carlo Ancelotti is keen on the Brazil international, with Italian website Tuttomercatoweb quoting a potential £30 million price tag:

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Real Madrid are set to make a bid for Chelsea midfielder Ramires in the January transfer window, according to reports in Spain.

Carlo Ancelotti is keen to bring the Brazilian international to the Bernabeu but the Spanish giants would have to offer up to £30m for his signature, the Italian website Tuttomercatoweb is reporting.

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The 27-year-old has only featured five times for the Blues in the 2014-15 season, per WhoScored.com, as Mourinho seems to favour the trio of Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Willian in the central roles.

Ramires' contributions on the pitch have been solid, even in limited time. He was the star of the show with a goal and two assists in the 6-3 win over Everton, and his versatility makes him an excellent depth player on the Blues' bench.

This isn't the first time we've heard of Los Blancos' reported interest in Ramires. Back in June the two parties were linked, with Mourinho immediately dismissing the possibility of a transfer, as he told Marca (via ESPN):

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Ramires is staying at Chelsea. He's not for sale. I have an excellent friendship with important people within Real Madrid and they know that Ramires is going to stay at Chelsea.

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Things have changed since then, however. As explained by Bleacher Report UK's Garry Hayes, Ramires has become expendable due to the emergence and importance of other players:

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When the manager returned to Chelsea in 2013, it took him longer than many expected to mould the squad to resemble something more in his vision. There was an imbalance that has been addressed, and with the players that have been added, Ramires' position has been squeezed.

Where does he fit into this Chelsea team now?

The midfield pivot has looked best with Fabregas and Matic this season, and further forward, Ramires doesn't have the technical ability or nous to compete with Andre Schurrle, Hazard, Oscar and Willian.

He's becoming a reserve, back-up to a team that he has struggled to evolve with.

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There was a time when Ramires' special skill set would have been difficult to replace in case of a transfer, but with Matic developing into arguably the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League right now, the Blues wouldn't have to replace anything on the pitch.

The issue isn't that Ramires is getting old (he's only 27) or that he doesn't add to the squad. He's a solid player who makes Chelsea better, but at the end of the day, he's still a bench option and occasional starter.

When clubs like Real Madrid are willing to pay £30 million for a player who is not part of your regular starting XI, you have to entertain the possibility of selling.

Ramires' role with the Blues is ever shrinking, and the team's success early in the 2014-15 campaign indicates Mourinho made the right choice regarding his starters.

Marco van Ginkel would have been a natural replacement for the Brazilian, but he's currently on loan with AC Milan. That would leave Lewis Baker as the next man up, and while the 19-year-old is supremely talented, he doesn't have a whole lot of experience on the highest level.

That means a potential sale of Ramires in January carries some risk. If one of Matic or Fabregas gets injured, there will be a drop-off in quality should Ramires not be available.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

But by holding out until the summer, Ramires' value will diminish. The Brazilian still won't be a regular starter, and his lack of consistent minutes will start to feed the rumour mill.

Madrid need midfield help now—they might just go look for it elsewhere and return in the summer with a significantly lower bid.

Ramires has been a valuable asset for the Blues, and if the offers for his services aren't high enough, Mourinho would be wise to keep the Brazilian around.

But if anyone is willing to offer more than £25 million for the 27-year-old bench player, there's little reason not to take the money and reinvest.

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