Chelsea Transfer News: Koke Bid Readied, Luka Modric Talks Madrid Exit Rumours

Chelsea are readying a summer bid for Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, with the Blues having received a boost in their pursuit of the Spaniard after Barcelona pulled out of the race to sign him.

According to Tuttomercato (h/t Jamie Anderson in the Daily Star), Barca's interest in the 23-year-old has cooled, with the Camp Nou giants unwilling to meet his £44 million buy-out clause for fears he "lacks media presence."

Chelsea, on the other hand, are reportedly willing to meet the release clause to sign Koke after pursuing him for some time, per Jamie Sanderson in Metro.

Koke is a very impressive player, and he is still set to improve ever further given his relative youth.

He is versatile, with the ability to play across the midfield, and he could take some of the creative pressure off Cesc Fabregas should Chelsea sign him up—his assist numbers are highly impressive, per Opta:

Chelsea look as though they need added depth in the the midfield, with the likes of Fabregas and Oscar having dropped off in quality in the second half of the season, most likely due to fatigue.

Fabregas is still leading the Premier League standings in terms of assists—with 16—but he has added just once to that tally since January, per WhoScored.com.

Koke would provide both an alternative creative outlet, as well as bringing fine defensive acumen—a feature rated highly by Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

Koke has spent his entire career thus far at Atleti, and he won the La Liga title with them last season. He may be reticent to leave the Vicente Calderon, but Chelsea can likely offer him great incentives—both financially and professionally—to move to Stamford Bridge, and it would be a fantastic transfer for all parties.

Modric Happy At Real

Recent rumours had suggested that Luka Modric, one of the world's most highly regarded central midfielders, could be on his way out of Real Madrid this summer, and Chelsea have been strongly linked with a move for the Croatian, per Metro Sport:

Given the importance of the 29-year-old to the Los Blancos team, it seemed a slightly far-fetched notion that he would be allowed to depart the Spanish capital.

And indeed, Modric himself seems to have quashed said rumours, insisting he is very settled at the Bernabeu, per Marca: "There are special emotions at every club, I've had friendships at each one. I think the club where I've been the most settled is Real Madrid."

There is no doubt that Modric would be a fine addition at Chelsea—he would improve almost any side—and B/R UK's Garry Hayes recently cited the former Tottenham man as the type of player the Blues are lacking:

However, as Spanish football writer Nicholas Rigg noted, Modric is essential to Carlo Ancelotti's side:

He helped Los Blancos to Champions League glory last year, and they are on track to repeat the trick again this year, while the La Liga title is also still a possibility.

Modric certainly doesn't seem unhappy at Real, and they will surely not be putting him up for sale, thus Chelsea will have to look elsewhere in the summer to strengthen the centre of their midfield.