Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Fernando Torres and £25M Ace Giannelli Imbula

Chelsea will be expected to conduct more transfer business in 2015 as recent reports suggest Fernando Torres is heading toward a permanent club exit, while Marseille's Giannelli Imbula is attracting the Blues' eye.

According to German newspaper Bild (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Express), Schalke are hoping to cut short Torres' two-year loan at Milan with a permanent offer of their own:

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The Spanish international is currently on loan with Italian giants AC Milan, but has netted just a single goal in his first five games. Should his San Siro career continue to stutter the i Rossoneri are very unlikely to make a permanent offer for the struggling striker.

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Roberto Di Matteo was recently appointed manager at the Veltins-Arena and previously won the 2011-12 Champions League title with Torres, so he will be hoping to strike up a successful partnership once again.

Paolo Lazzeroni/Associated Press

The forward's Chelsea contract doesn't expire until 2016, but it is likely the west Londoners would happily see his stay ended prior to that date. 

Despite Torres' fallen reputation since moving to Chelsea in 2011, his former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard this week praised the once prolific hit man, per the Daily Mail's Joe Bernstein:

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The reason we came out on top that night [2009 Champions League win over Real Madrid] was because we were very aggressive with and without the ball. We pressed from the front and had a world-class talent there in Fernando Torres. He set the tempo up front and we all came behind him. We forced Real Madrid into mistakes.

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Torres' lucrative Blues contract means a transfer figure would be a likely stumbling block for Schalke. The Miners are unlikely to be able to meet Torres' demands if a lump sum is required on top.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar currently reigns as Schalke's leading man up front, but Di Matteo could hope to get the best out of Torres in what would be his first taste of Bundesliga football.

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

The deal would also need Milan's compliance, with more than 18 months left to run on his agreement at the San Siro.

From departures to potential arrivals, though, with the news that Jose Mourinho's mounting interest in Imbula has resulted in extensive scouting over the past year, per Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard:

“I have seen Imbula often. As soon as he gets the ball he is able to accelerate and break through the lines. He covers well, has good technique, great vision of the game, with a very good pass and a great left foot," Johnson writes.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

Johnson refers to Imbula as "the new Claude Makelele" in his report, with Arsenal and Manchester United mentioned as potential contenders for the 22-year-old, who is expected to earn senior French national team honours. 

Bleacher Report's French football expert Andrew Gibney has struggled to find weakness in the player's game:

Imbula would be considered a more realistic alternative to Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, who is out of contract next summer but is attracting widespread attention, available on a pre-contract in January.

Nemanja Matic is currently doing a fine job in Mourinho's midfield make-up, but the Portuguese is chasing further options in his search for perfection.