Chelsea: Five Players the Club Needs To Go After This Summer
After dishing out over £71m on a single day on Fernando Torres and David Luiz, the casual observer would assume that Chelsea are done spending for the foreseeable future.
If the Blues wish to remain competitive beyond this year they need to get younger in a hurry.
Frank Lampard, John Terry, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba aren't getting any younger and Chelsea needs to go after these five players if they are to continue their success into the next decade.
5. Dimitri Payet
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Chelsea already had a £7m bid turned down by the St. Etienne player who claimed he wished to stay in France. Chelsea are in need of someone with ability to play from the wide position especially with Florent Malouda losing out on playing time with the addition of Torres.
The twenty-three year old winger has already tallied eight goals in eighteen league appearances and also made his national team debut in November.
If Chelsea puts in a bid in the £12m-£15m in the summer they should have a good chance to nab Payet.
4. Ganso
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Ganso, dubbed by some as "the next Zidane," is currently being pursued by the likes of Manchester United, and Arsenal as well as Chelsea.
Out for the last six months with an ankle injury the 21-year old Brazilian attacking midfielder made his national team debut against the US in August. The Santos player is keen to make a move from Brazil to the European game but won't move for anything less than a £20m bid.
3. Neymar
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The Brazilian starlet has already scorned Chelsea's advances the past summer and while he is comfortable to stay the rest of this season at Santos, his future move to Europe is all but certain in the summer.
The nineteen-year old has already netted over sixty goals in less than three full seasons at the top level of Brazilian football. He's also already scored for the national team and looks to be a first team player for years to come.
He won't be cheap and its likely a bid upwards of £30m will be necessary for him to set sail across the ocean blue to Stamford Bridge.
2. Alexis Sanchez
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Sanchez is another winger Chelsea need to continue to pursue. They've already had a £25m bid turned down before the January window closed but that never seems to deter Roman Abromovich.
The Chilean Sanchez has played at Italian side Udinese since 2008 and has scored seven goals in twenty two appearances this season. Thirteen goals in thirty-four national team caps is an impressive start to an international career.
This price for the twenty-two year old will only rise as more teams show interest so its possible the Blues will have to shell out Andy Carroll money (£35m) for a player in such high demand.
1. Romelu Lukaku
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Romelu Lukaku is hottest name in transfer gossip despite being only seventeen years old. The Belgian forward has already been described as the "the next Drogba" so it would make sense he should find his way to Chelsea.
Chelsea already failed once in a £25m bid for the R.S.C. Anderlecht player before the window closed but he also being monitored by Arsenal, Manchesters United and City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Real Madrid.
The odds seem to favor Chelsea though, as Lukaku has mentioned how much he would like to play with his hero, the current Drogba.
If Chelsea can acquire any or all of these players (How much does Roman want to open his pocketbook?), they should be able to compensate for the eventual departure of the aforementioned aging Blues.
