Chelsea Transfer News: Jamie Vardy Boost After Jose Mourinho Axe, Latest Rumours

Jose Mourinho's sacking as Chelsea manager has reportedly increased the chances of the club signing Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy during the January transfer window.

According to the London Evening Standard's Simon Johnson, Mourinho wasn't a fan of the Leicester City man, who he believed didn't suit his playing style. But club technical director Michael Emenalo really wants to move for the player, and with Mourinho now out of the picture, a transfer becomes a possibility.

Per Johnson, Vardy's Champions League eligibility and status as a home grown player only add to his appeal:

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Significantly, Vardy will be eligible to play in the Champions League, where the Blues have a last 16 tie against Paris Saint Germain, He would help improve the home grown quota at the club too.

Leicester insist they want to keep their £30m-valued prize asset, who has helped fire them to the top of the table with 15 goals.

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Vardy has been the Premier League's top attacking option this season, scoring 15 goals so far. The consistency at which he keeps finding the net indicates his strong form is no fluke, and some of the league's top clubs are expected to try and make a move for his services in the near future.

The Foxes have no intention of selling, for obvious reasons, and as long as their sensational run at the top of the standings continues, it's unlikely either Vardy or Riyad Mahrez will leave.

Per Sky Sports, the two have really driven Leicester's title challenge so far:

A potential deal would be further complicated by the new Premier League TV deal, which will drastically increase the revenue of clubs like Leicester. Per ESPN FC's Tony Evans, we've already seen the effects, with the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri joining Stoke City last summer.

Chelsea were introduced to the new financial security of some of the Premier League's smaller clubs over the summer, when Everton repeatedly refused to sell star defender John Stones for astronomical transfer fees, per David Maddock of the Daily Mirror.

Clubs can afford to hold out for massive transfer fees, and in the case of Vardy, the price may be too great. He is already 28 years old, after all, and there's no guarantee his scoring form would hold while playing for a top club.

Fiorentina Approached Juan Cuadrado Before Juventus Move

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

According to Calciomercato.com's Fabrizio Romano (via Lorenzo Bettoni), former club Fiorentina tried to sign Juan Cuadrado before the Colombia international moved to hated rivals Juventus on loan last summer.

The winger joined Chelsea during the 2015 January transfer window, but he failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues gladly loaned him back to Italy just six months later.

He has since recovered his best form with the Bianconeri, who are expected to negotiate a smaller buyout clause than the €20 million Chelsea initially inserted in the deal.

Per Sport Witness, the Bianconeri are doing everything possible to bring the fee down:

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This is a waiting game, yet Juventus aren’t really blessed with a lot of time, as Tuttosport report the talks between the two clubs are expected to be long, and need to be started as soon as possible.

The general feeling by the Italian media surrounding this transfer seems to be changing every time a new report comes out, and Chelsea will be hoping Cuadrado performs enough to convince Juventus to buy him when the time comes.

As far as we can see, Juventus are trying every trick in the book to get Cuadrado's price down, and it's getting quite messy.  

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It's unlikely Chelsea would get a higher fee from Fiorentina should the deal with Juventus fall through next summer, although it's just as possible the new manager would prefer to keep Cuadrado at the club. Mourinho never found a way to integrate the Colombia international, but his replacement might have more luck.

Juventus already have a replacement ready in the form of Domenico Berardi, who seems all but certain to move to Turin next summer. His agent told CalcioMercato (h/t Football Italia) Juventus have a deal in place, and once the prolific Berardi joins Juventus, they may no longer need Cuadrado.

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