Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Pedro and John Obi Mikel Rumours
Chelsea’s interest in Barcelona winger Pedro seems to be hotting up, with reports suggesting Blues manager Jose Mourinho and former Blaugrana team-mate Cesc Fabregas have convinced the winger to move to Stamford Bridge.
That’s according to Sport (h/t Sport Witness) which claims that Pedro has changed his mind about staying at Barcelona after phone conversations with the pair. It’s also noted that although the 27-year-old recently renewed his contract with the Catalan giants, his release clause was reduced to £21.6 million.
If Mourinho can get Pedro back to his very best, he’d be a bargain for the Blues. Here’s a reminder of what he is capable of:
The signing of Luis Suarez last summer and the arrival of Arda Turan mean Pedro looks unlikely to recapture a starting sport in the Barcelona team. For the majority of the 2014-15 season he was on the bench and although the Blaugrana won a trio of major trophies, individually it would have been a frustrating time for the player.
But now it seems as though the Blues are ready to offer Pedro an escape route, and as we can see here courtesy of ChelsTransfer, Sport have gone pretty big on the story:
With players like Eden Hazard and Willian typically occupying roles on the flanks for the Blues, Pedro would not be guaranteed a starting spot by any means at Stamford Bridge. But a change of scenery might just renew the motivation levels in a player whose reputation has taken a bit of a battering as of late.
It’s easily forgotten just how prolific a goalscorer he is, per Squawka Football:
For Mourinho, Pedro would provide a different option to Chelsea’s forward line. The Portuguese would be a major admirer of his work ethic and admirable end product; if he can get the Spanish international back on song, he’d be a major asset to the Blues and a wonderful talent to have in the Premier League.
John Obi Mikel Too Expensive for Fenerbahce
John Obi Mikel doesn’t look as though he’ll be leaving Chelsea any time soon, with Turkish giants Fenerbahce baulking at the Blues' reported £25.2 million valuation of the player.
“Chelsea want €35million for Mikel,” said Aziz Yildirim, the president of the Super Lig side, per Turkish-Football.com (h/t George Bellshaw of Metro). According to the piece, this refute likely to end Fenerbahce’s pursuit of the Chelsea midfield man.
Mikel hasn't been able to nail down a regular starting spot with the Blues in the last couple of seasons. The Nigeria international has impressed in spells, and under Mourinho’s tutelage has often been used to shore up this Chelsea team in big games. His tackling, reading of the game and shrewd distribution typically see Mikel do a solid job too.
As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, when he does get in the team, Mikel rarely lets the Blues down defensively:
But from the player’s own perspective, surely it’s time for a move away from Stamford Bridge. Mourinho, you would imagine, would like to keep the midfielder on board, as he is a reliable figure in the middle of the park. Mikel must surely have eyes for a first-team spot elsewhere at this stage of his career,
Sadly for him, if the Blues are to stick to their reported £25.2 million valuation of the 28-year-old, then he’ll be going nowhere. But after nine years at Stamford Bridge, surely Mikel should be afforded the luxury of moving should he wish; you’d like to think that if he was to push for a transfer, the Blues would back down on a frankly ridiculous valuation.
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