Chelsea Transfer News: Radamel Falcao and Gareth Bale Rumours Sparked

Chelsea could be "interested" in signing Radamel Falcao from Monaco, despite the Colombian's poor loan spell with Manchester United, according to John Cross of the Mirror.

Cross believes Falcao "has got his sights set on London" after netting just four goals in the Premier League this season. It is suggested Chelsea and Tottenham may be willing to provide him with a second chance if United decide against taking up their option to buy at the end of the campaign.

This is an odd rumour, there's no doubt about it. Chelsea fans have enjoyed the all-action, often close-to-the-mark attacking style of Diego Costa this season. He currently leads the goalscoring charts with 17, per BBC Sport, and is the spearhead of Jose Mourinho's side.

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The Portuguese boss has shown no signs of wanting to deploy two strikers and is unlikely to spend heavily on Falcao if he's to warm the bench, particularly when Chelsea have Loic Remy, Didier Drogba and a host of youngsters waiting to make the breakthrough.

B/R UK's Sam Tighe doesn't think elite sides should be looking at Falcao:

United boss Louis van Gaal believes the player will regain his confidence, told to United Review (h/t ESPN): 

"

We mustn't forget the severe injury he suffered last year and how it kept him out for such a long period and resulted in him not having a good pre-season, which is always the catalyst for the campaign ahead. 

I believe he just needs a little time to build his confidence and match sharpness, and it won't be long until he is showing everybody the talent that we all know he has.

"

Mourinho is also being linked with a swoop for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, a player who could shine on the opposite flank to Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge.

Rob Shepherd of the MailOnline believes Chelsea would be able to satisfy UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules when aiming to land the player who cost £85.3 million in 2013 and sets Madrid back £300,000 per week: "Chelsea, on the basis of transfer sales and turnover, will have the ability to push the boat out to get Bale."

Mourinho continues to work avidly to satisfy the European body's guidelines. He sold Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne before purchasing Nemanja Matic, Kurt Zouma and Mohamed Salah in January 2014. This season, he pushed Andre Schurrle through the door in order to sign Juan Cuadrado.

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Shepherd believes Bale could cost in excess of £100 million, so a squad revamp would likely need to take place for this to happen. Bale netted twice during Madrid's 2-0 win over Levante on Sunday, boosting his confidence after he was recently jeered by sections of the side's support.

Branislav Ivanovic could be sacrificed to help fund such a transfer, with the Daily Star claiming Bayern Munich are interested in the Serbian's services. The report suggests Pep Guardiola has placed Ivanovic "on his list of replacements" for Brazilian centre-back Dante, who could depart the Allianz Arena at the end of the season.

Chelsea are cantering toward the Premier League title, despite their 1-1 draw with Southampton. Mourinho's men are six points clear of Manchester City and have a game in hand, but they will want to take strides in the Champions League next season. The recent round-of-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain suggested Mourinho may need to make a star signing in the summer to elevate his side on the continent.

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Bale would need to up his work-rate if he played under Mourinho—he is not a manager who takes kindly to those who fail to fulfill all their duties—but he is the type of mega purchase who would continue to set Chelsea up for years to come.