Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Gerard Pique and Major Jose Mourinho Targets

Chelsea's fine start to the 2014-15 Premier League season continues, but that isn't stopping the transfer rumour mill from doing its thing and linking the Blues with a host of international players.

Whether it's established talent, out-of-favour stars or young players with potential, Jose Mourinho is reportedly in the market for plenty of reinforcements in January, despite his squad's strong run of results.

Teams never stop improving, and it would be a surprise not to see the Blues complete one or several moves in January. With that in mind, let's have a look at the latest transfer news surrounding the club.

Multiple Offers for Barcelona's Gerard Pique

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Spanish newspaper Sport (h/t Daily Mail's Jonny Singer) claims Barcelona have received three separate offers for star defender Gerard Pique, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City all reportedly interested.

The bids are supposedly all upwards of £20 million, with a maximum of £24 million for the Spain international. The Blues would eye him as a potential replacement for John Terry in the summer, while City are ready to make their move in January.

The odds of Chelsea actively pursuing the 27-year-old centre-back are small, at best, although they're astronomical compared to the odds of Barcelona actually selling. Pique is a longtime contributor for the Blaugrana, who don't have a wealth of options in defence, being forced into signing Thomas Vermaelen for cover during the summer.

Pique is a good defender, but he hasn't been at his best in a long time. His performance against Ajax in the Catalans' last Champions League outing was so poor, ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan dreaded the idea of him starting El Clasico against Real Madrid:

Spending more than £20 million on a player the club has no real need for isn't the Blues' style, and with Kurt Zouma and Tomas Kalas waiting in the wings, the centre-back position is more than set for the future.

Barcelona can't afford to lose one of their top defenders because of their current transfer ban—Chelsea won't spend big on a player they don't have a real need for. Fans can ignore the Pique-to-Chelsea rumours for now.

Blues Favourites in Race for Zakaria Bakkali

Lee Jin-man/Associated Press

According to the Daily Star's Chisanga Malata, Chelsea have edged ahead of Liverpool in the race for PSV Eindhoven's Zakaria Bakkali, an 18-year-old Belgium international.

The youngster burst onto the scene with a series of impressive performances early in the 2013-14 season, flashing superstar potential that saw multiple pundits compare the winger with current Chelsea star Eden Hazard.

He failed to build on that impressive start, however, dropping to the bench during the season and being frequently criticised for his poor character. Dutch Football made the comparison to teammate Memphis Depay:

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The contrast between Memphis Depay and Zakaria Bakkali is huge. One will do anything to succeed, one thinks he is already great.

— Dutch Football (@football_oranje) September 6, 2014"

Belgian football expert John Chapman has similar ideas:

Bakkali is incredibly talented, but his inability to make things work at PSV is cause for concern. The Dutch side have a lot of equally talented youngsters who showed a willingness to battle through the tough times the team faced last season, while the Belgian did nothing but sulk.

A change of scenery seems like a good idea, but the Blues have a multitude of talented youngsters waiting for their chance, and Bakkali has proven himself to be unable to handle the competition.

Taking a chance on his potential could pay huge dividends, but the Blues won't move unless there is little financial risk involved with such a transfer.

Mattia Destro Willing to Leave AS Roma

Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

Roma's Mattia Destro is growing increasingly inpatient at not receiving consistent playing time, and the Italian youngster could be on his way out, according to the Daily Express' Jamie Anderson.

He recently spoke about his situation, and while he refrained from making any definitive statements, the message was clear:

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I can only do my talking on the pitch. Some people speak with their voice, I speak on the field.

I try to score goals when I have the opportunity. [Should I be given] more opportunities by the coach? That’s up to the coach. I think with my head, I make decisions with my head. So we’ll see.

"

The 23-year-old was courted by virtually every top club in Europe after a great season for Siena in 2012 and joined the Giallorossi, hoping for a regular starting position at some point in the 2012-13 season.

Things didn't go as planned, however, and with the club finding a lot of success with its current starting XI, he has only started five Serie A matches in 2014-15, via WhoScored.com.

As reported by Football Italia, Roma coach Rudi Garcia responded to Destro's comments, emphasising he's just one of his many players:

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The Coach thinks of all the players. I’ve been a player, and a player thinks only of himself. To me, he [Destro] is no different to any of the others. There are many things which have to be taken into account, not just the profile of the player.

It depends on the opponent and how we want to approach the game and I choose who to play based on these things, according to the attributes of the players. All our players are physically at the top of their game and play well together. As long as I have my seven strikers to choose from, my choices can be judged only in light of the final result.

"

While Destro could realistically leave the Giallorossi at the end of the season, his situation would be no different with Chelsea. Diego Costa is the designated starter for the Blues, and as long as he's healthy, he'll play in every high-profile match.

Loic Remy provides the club with excellent cover for the position, and he fits the profile of a lone striker better than Destro, who is built to excel in a system with two forwards.

A move to a smaller club would make more sense for the Italian, and Chelsea are unlikely to be willing to overspend to bring the 23-year-old to Stamford Bridge.

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