Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Gareth Bale and Douglas Costa Rumours

Chelsea will bid for Gareth Bale if they are beaten to Liverpool's Raheem Sterling by Premier League rivals Manchester City or Manchester United. That's the view of MailOnline writer Rob Shepherd.

He believes Bale may be seen as a "safer" option, despite costing far more than the £50 million-rated Liverpool winger: "Bale is, from a playing and commercial point of view, a far 'safer bet' given his proven CV."

Yet Shepherd has noted how any deal for Bale wouldn't be without problems of its own:

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But his fee of £75m and near £300,000-a-week wages mean his acquisition would restrict other signings under financial fair play guidelines.

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But such has been the adverse reaction of many Madrid fans to him this season he may find it difficult to 'tough it out'. And the Spanish club may feel it is a good time to 'cash out'.

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All of this sounds pretty fanciful, even if Bale has found the going a little tougher than expected in the Spanish capital. His car was attacked by angry supporters who made him the subject of their wrath after Los Blancos' recent El Clasico defeat to Barcelona.

Bale has also seemed to bristle working alongside egomaniacal but ultra-prolific fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo. But does any of that mean Chelsea will actually fork out £75 million for the Welsh wing wizard this summer?

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The short answer should be "don't hold your breath," even if Bale is a player who seems to suit the demands of Blues boss Jose Mourinho. The 25-year-old combines electric pace with formidable physical power to make him the perfect counter-attacking weapon.

Bale is also a tireless worker. His energy and appetite for success would certainly appeal to Mourinho, who often demands his wide players do their bit at every level of the team.

B/R's Garry Hayes detailed why he thinks Chelsea would be "blowing teams away" with Bale in their ranks:

Yet despite Bale's apparent suitability, the fact remains Chelsea have been working hard to comply with financial fair play rules. The Stamford Bridge club have sold David Luiz, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku for hefty fees in recent seasons. Andre Schurrle and Kevin De Bruyne also fetched handsome sums.

Splashing the sort of cash needed to land Bale would undo all that work.

It's not as if Mourinho's squad even needs another wide forward. The Portuguese gaffer can already call on Eden Hazard, Willian and Juan Cuadrado.

Instead, Chelsea's money would be better spent fixing a sluggish defence.

Liverpool Provide Competition for Douglas Costa

If the Blues don't need Bale, it's certainly hard to justify why they'd need Douglas Costa. So the Premier League leaders shouldn't be worried that Liverpool are now showing strong interest in the Brazilian.

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Daily Star Sunday reporter Carl Eldridge has revealed the Reds view Costa as a more "realistic target" than Chelsea's own Oscar. Frankly, Mourinho ought to leave the path clear for the Anfield club.

Although Costa is highly versatile, the Shakhtar Donetsk schemer would offer little to a Chelsea squad that already boasts ample flair and trickery in forward areas.

B/R's Garry Hayes doesn't see a natural fit for Costa, a player he compares to January signing Cuadrado:

Yet this is a rumour that just won't go away. Back in mid-March, Costa told FourFourTwo's Marcus Alves he'd be "really interested" in joining the west London outfit.

More recently, the Mirror's John Cross stated the Blues will offer £20 million to beat the competition to Costa. Chelsea's interest in the player seems genuine, even if their reasons for signing him are less clear.

Just like with Bale, the Blues would be better off shunning any deal and concentrating instead on fortifying a surprisingly suspect defence.