Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Must Wrap Up Andrej Kramaric Deal in January

Chelsea transfer target Andrej Kramaric is being advised to choose his next club carefully by Croatian national team manager Niko Kovac, and the Blues have to bring the talented forward in now before he has a change of heart.

As reported by Goal.com's Ante Buskulic, the 23-year-old star turned down a move to Leicester City because he wants to play for a contender. Kovac thinks he should worry about playing, first and foremost:

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My advice not only to him but all young players going out is don't look at how high a salary you can get but choose a club you will play in. Because when young players go out, they do not know anybody, don't have friends, family, don't know the language, and if they don't play, they lose confidence and in year or two - disappear. 

And if they play in some smaller team, the opportunity will come to go to a bigger club and earn more.

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The Croatia international has scored 21 goals in just 16 domestic matches for Rijeka this season and has added six more in seven Europa League fixtures, per Buskulic, drawing the attention of numerous clubs around the European continent.

Most notable among these clubs are Juventus and Chelsea, the two clubs Kovac is alluding to when he tells Kramaric to be careful. The youngster wants to play for a title-contending club, which is understandable, but playing time wouldn't come easy with the Bianconeri or Blues.

The Italian champions usually field the duo of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente—Kramaric won't break up that partnership. Likewise, he'll have a hard time dethroning Diego Costa, one of the world's most productive strikers in the 2014-15 season, as Chelsea's designated starter.

So, why are Chelsea and Juventus interested in the first place, if Kramaric won't be making an instant impact for either club? As detailed by Goal.com's Mark Doyle, the 23-year-old isn't a one-hit wonder or a player suddenly going through a hot streak.

He's long been touted as Croatia's next forward star, following in the footsteps of the likes of Davor Suker and Mario Mandzukic. His career came to a standstill when things didn't work out with Dinamo Zagreb, and as soon as he moved to Rijeka, he exploded with 16 goals in 24 appearances.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Kramaric has made up for lost time in the past 18 months, and now he's ready to show the world he has become the player that scouts in Croatia always believed he would be.

Atlanta director general Pierpaolo Marino believes he'll be doing that at Stamford Bridge, as he told SportItalia (h/t Doyle): "Rijeka's Kramaric is a player we followed for a long time, but I believe that now he's signing with Chelsea."

Jose Mourinho has carried three strikers on the squad during the 2014-15 season: Costa, Loic Remy and Didier Drogba. The latter is quickly approaching the end of a glittering career, and as of right now, the Blues don't have any youthful prospects capable of making the step up and adequately replacing him.

Kramaric could, and he would relish the opportunity to prove he would be deserving of being No. 2 behind Costa in training. His five goals in five Europa League group-stage matches, via WhoScored.com, suggest he's already a better pure scorer then Remy.

No club has been linked with a move for the forward more than Juventus, however, and speed could become paramount. The longer the Blues wait, the more likely it is Kramaric's star will continue to rise, until a top club comes along that is capable of offering him a starting position.

Niko Kovac isn't some pundit—he's Kramaric's national team coach. Kovac wouldn't be the first national team manager to influence a transfer.

If Mourinho is serious about moving for the Croat, whom Leicester could have had for just £7.9 million, per Buskulic, the time to strike is now. If the Blues come to an agreement in December, they can complete the transfer on New Year's Day, before anyone else has the opportunity to steal this supremely talented striker.

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