Chelsea Transfer News: Marco Reus Deal Ordered, Didier Drogba Quit Rumours Grow

Marco Reus is Chelsea’s main January transfer target, per Le10Sport.com (h/t Bruce Archer of the Daily Star) with manager Jose Mourinho reportedly telling owner Roman Abramovich to go out and sign the Borussia Dortmund man.

A clutch of European football’s most illustrious names have been linked with the German international, and although the Blues boss has previously insisted no players will be signed in January, per talkSPORT (via Mark Bowering of Goal.com), you can see why Mourinho may make an exception for Reus if he is indeed available.

Here’s a closer look at Reus' qualities:

Former Real Madrid manager Jupp Heynckes, as quoted in Archer’s piece, claimed the 25-year-old should stave off the advances of the Blues, Bayern Munich and any other side in order to sign for Los Blancos [sic]: "I would recommend him to go to Madrid. The Bayern Munich already has four or five world class players before. Where to play Reus? If he really has a clause of € 25 million, all the great teams of Europe should do everything to attract services Reus."

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From a Chelsea perspective, the prospect of Reus lining up alongside Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas is a tantalising one.

The Dortmund man is an enthralling, incisive and clinical forward who would add an exciting dimension to the Blues attack, and he would arguably get more minutes at Stamford Bridge than either the Santiago Bernabeu or the Allianz Arena.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe takes a closer look at Reus’ best attributes:

In terms of pure playing time, Chelsea look like one of the illustrious clubs on the continent best placed to offer Reus the minutes he would surely want.

But given Mourinho’s claims about the January window, a big-money bid looks unlikely, not to mention his previous insistence earlier in the season that the club has no interest whatsoever in the player, per the Chelsea Twitter account:

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Mourinho may be prompted into bolstering his forward options in the summer window, however, with reports suggesting that veteran striker Didier Drogba is set to retire at the end of the season.

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According to Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express, the 36-year-old will hang up his boots at the conclusion of the current campaign, with Diego Costa and Loic Remy vying for what’s traditionally the sole striker berth in the Chelsea team.

The piece also claims that Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric will be joining the club at the start of the 2015/16 season to add further depth to that position.

Drogba has made occasional impacts during his second spell at the club, and as noted here by Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail, Mourinho has utilised his burly somatotype late on in various games:

You suspect that for Drogba, retiring as a Chelsea player would be the perfect end to what has been a glittering career. Sure, he could probably make an impact in a lesser league and pick up a pretty penny for his services, too, but he’s a Blues man through and through. With that in mind, Mourinho will surely want him to stick around as part of the club's coaching staff.

When Chelsea are chasing the game, Mourinho typically turns to Drogba before Remy from the bench, and with the title race hotting up, the rumbustious Ivorian could well have a few more vital contributions left in him as the Blues go in search of domestic and European glory.