Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Sergio Busquets and Marco Reus

Jose Mourinho may have ruled out the prospect of making any signings in January, per talkSPORT (h/t Mark Bowering of Goal.com), but you can guarantee that behind the scenes there will be plans in place for upcoming windows, as the Portuguese looks to fine-tune his already formidable squad.

“Our project is to start and finish the season with the same group of players,”  said Mourinho, per the aforementioned piece. “So there will be nobody to leave and nobody to come in either.”

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Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes thinks some activity could happen, though:

Indeed, you’d have to be some player to improve this Blues’ starting XI, so it's perhaps unsurprising that the Stamford Bridge outfit have been linked with two genuine world-class talents.

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One player who represents a very interesting proposition for the club is Sergio Busquets. According to Anthony Chapman of the Express, the Barcelona man is being tracked by a clutch of European football’s elite teams, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all reportedly interested.

Chapman claims that Busquets—a player who has won copious honours in his time with the Blaugrana—is looking for a fresh challenge, even though Luis Enrique is set to offer the player a new contract. Here’s a look at what kind of qualities the Spaniard could potentially bring to Stamford Bridge:

It’s difficult to see Barcelona sanctioning any sale, though. The 26-year-old is a player who is vital to the way in which the Blaugrana set up, and while the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez typically grab the headlines, the understated, unnoticed work done by the Spanish international is just as important.

Here are some figures from Busquets this season in league matches alongside some of the continent's finest holding midfield men:

	Busquets	Matic	Alonso
Apps (Sub)	15	15	14 (1)
Average Passes per Game	75.3	66.3	109.4
Pass Success Rate	92.1%	88.4%	89.9%
Tackles per Game	3.7	3.5	2.7
Interceptions per Game	1.5	2.1	1.9

Indeed, he is a big character in the dressing room too, and someone who can help the development of young players looking to follow in his footsteps—players like Sergi Samper, as noted here per Barca:

The player seems settled in Catalonia and has a contract that runs until 2018, meaning the club would be under no obligation to sell. Indeed, given Barcelona’s transfer ban—which will prevent them from signing players up until January 2016—if Enrique did sanction a summer sale, they wouldn’t be able to go out and buy a replacement immediately.

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Given Chelsea’s current crop of excellent central midfield players—Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas are flourishing as a pair—it’s a deal that looks very, very unlikely.

Another player who looks increasingly unlikely to rock up at Stamford Bridge is Marco Reus, with reports in Spain (h/t Marc Williams of the Daily Star) claiming that the player has already agreed a deal that will see him join Real Madrid. According to Williams’ piece, the sensational recent form of Los Blancos and the prospect of a five-year deal have made up the German’s mind.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Here’s a look at why Chelsea and a host of Europe’s elite have been supposedly keeping tabs on the Borussia Dortmund man:

For Blues supporters, the prospect of Reus linking up with Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa is a tantalising one. But even Chelsea—a team that look insatiable in their quest for honours this season—don’t have the gravitas to compete with Real Madrid, even though Reus would most likely get more game time at Stamford Bridge than at the Santiago Bernabeu.

When you look at the attacking talent at Carlo Ancelotti’s disposal, Reus could certainly face a fight to get into the first team at the Santiago Bernabeu, per RMadridHome:

"

'BBC' has either scored or assisted 78 out Real Madrid's 83 goals this season. Trio. #HaIaMadrid pic.twitter.com/p4V4iU6TBa

— RMadridHome (@RMadridHome) December 15, 2014"

With Reus unlikely to leave Dortmund until the end of the season, rumours regarding his future will surely continue to run and run. Chelsea would be a fine destination for him, and he’s one of a smattering of players who could potentially improve their already stellar attacking options. But if Real Madrid come calling, it’s admittedly tough to turn a blind eye.