Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Shouldn't Waste Time on Kevin Strootman Pursuit

Jose Mourinho has steered his team to the top of the Premier League with a panache, into the knockout stages of the Champions League with time to spare and has assembled one of the most balanced, talented and experienced squads ever seen on the Premier League landscape.

It’s fair to say things are going pretty well for the Chelsea manager, and according to reports in Italy (h/t David Wright of the Express), things could be about to get even better for the Stamford Bridge club, with reports suggesting that a £30 million bid has been lodged to bring Kevin Strootman to London.

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Here’s a few reasons why Mourinho is supposedly willing to part with that substantial sum in an attempt to get the Dutchman to Chelsea:

Typically, there isn’t a clamour for a player’s signature on the back of a very serious injury and subsequent significant layoff. But with Manchester United’s longstanding interest also noted in Wright’s piece, Strootman—who has recently returned to the Roma team after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury—seems a completely different entity.

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Perhaps it’s because of the undeniable qualities the 24-year-old possesses? It’s certainly easy to see why Mourinho may harbour an interest, for Strootman ticks all the boxes when it comes to the Portuguese’s age-old blueprint for a player; the Dutchman is strong, industrious, tenacious and most importantly of all, a very classy operator.

But Chelsea should refrain when it comes to their reported pursuit of the Giallorossi man for myriad reasons. The most pertinent being the Italians have repeatedly insisted their man is not for sale, a sentiment most recently reaffirmed by Roma general manager Mauro Baldissoni in an interview with Sky Sports:

"

This is something I'm reading every day. It is also something our president doesn't like to read every day.

He made a statement a few weeks ago saying Kevin was not for sale but, to be fair, we haven't received any call from Manchester. We do not plan to sell him.

"

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Indeed, Italian football expert Paolo Bandini told Bleacher Report he would be very surprised to see the former PSV man leave the club in January:

There are other factors, though. Mourinho himself has a pretty positive relationship with United boss Louis van Gaal, but the affinity between the Red Devils manager and Strootman—the pair worked extensively together when Van Gaal was the Netherlands national team boss—is well known, well established and will surely be a critical factor in any potential deal further down the line.

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United simply need a player like Strootman a little more than the Blues anyway, and subsequently, he’d get the requisite reassurances of more game time at Old Trafford. Chelsea, by contrast, already have a burly, dynamic and ferocious left-footed central midfielder in the form of Nemanja Matic. Given the way he is playing at the moment, it looks unlikely that he'd be ousted from the team any time soon.

Sure, the two together could potentially conjure an almost impenetrable midfield base, but with Cesc Fabregas revelling in a deeper role alongside the Serbian giant, it’d be peculiar to see Mourinho break up that newly fashioned and flourishing dynamic.

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Even so, Strootman could still potentially favour a move to Chelsea over the Red Devils given the respective current standing of both clubs. But, as good as he is, to move for the player in January after the Dutchman has played just 67 minutes upon his return from injury, per WhoScored, would be a major risk for any club.

That’s absolutely no slant on the player, of course, but injuries like the one suffered by Strootman can sadly be very debilitating. With that in mind, it remains to be seen whether he returns as the same irrepressible influence he was prior to that unfortunate layoff. Consequentially, potential suitors should hold off on any potential January splurge.

With those factors considered and the words of Bandini in mind, a stay at the Stadio Olimpico looks the most likely and most sensible course of action for Strootman. But if he quickly rediscovers his edge in the second half of the season, there’s little doubt that Europe’s big spenders—including Chelsea and Mourinho—will be keeping a close eye on the situation.