Chelsea Transfer News: Andrej Kramaric's Father Casts Doubts on January Rumours

The father of Croatian star striker Andrej Kramaric confirmed Chelsea are pushing to sign his son in January, but he immediately downplayed the rumours as he questioned whether the Blues would be the right fit for his son.

In an interview with T Portal (h/t Goal's Stephen Darwin), Josip Kramaric wondered if his son would have any control over his fate once he signs on the dotted line:

"

They [Chelsea] are really persistent. The thing we disagree over is Andrej's loan over the next six months. The question is where would he go on loan? We have no guarantee that he would return to Chelsea when the loan ends.

The financial conditions wouldn't be the same if Kramaric is with the Chelsea first team or somewhere on loan. True, it's a great club, but I'm not sure if it's the right way to go.

"

The 23-year-old's transfer saga has seen a lot of twists and turns in the past few weeks, and while the Blues initially appeared to be the strong favourites to add the proficient striker, recent developments indicate that may no longer be the case.

For starters, he just signed a new contract with current club Rijeka, which should somehow make a January transfer easier, per Sport Witness:

And as reported by Football Italia, the youngster remains adamant he will only leave Croatia for a club that guarantees he will play for the first team:

The situation is complicated, to say the least. Long heralded as the next great Croatian attacker, Kramaric is finally starting to live up to his potential. According to WhoScored.com, he has scored an incredible 21 goals in just 18 league starts this season, adding five more in six Europa League matches.

Kramaric is a fantastic talent, and it's finally starting to show. His performances for Croatia's national team have been more than solid, but in order to compete with the likes of Mario Mandzukic, he needs to play heavy minutes for a top club.

Chelsea and Juventus are both chasing his signature, and both clubs may not be able to provide those minutes. According to BILD (h/t Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney), Borussia Dortmund might:

The Blues have employed an aggressive loan strategy with their youngsters in the past few seasons, and with the striker position set for the remainder of the 2014-15 campaign, it's doubtful Kramaric would immediately join the first team.

A loan to the Bundesliga or back to Rijeka would be an option, and with Didier Drogba nearing retirement, a spot in the senior squad could be opening up in the immediate future.

But would Kramaric be willing to wait for his chance? His rise to the top of Croatian football has been a swift one, evidenced by him winning the domestic league's top-player award earlier this month, per CroatiaWeek:

Kramaric needs to keep that momentum going, and a move to a strong club that can still provide him with the minutes necessary to shine and continue developing would be the right move.

Like compatriot Mandzukic, the Bundesliga would be a strong option. The Atletico Madrid star earned his stripes with Wolfsburg before moving to Bayern Munich, and a similar trajectory is not out of the question for Kramaric.

His obvious potential and incredible finishing ability means Chelsea have to keep pushing for his signature, and given the twists and turns this transfer saga has already seen, it's not out of the question the 23-year-old ends up moving to London anyhow.

But if Kramaric listens to his father and chooses to take things slow, the Blues may just miss out on Croatia's next great export.

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