Chelsea Transfer News: 6 Big-Name Targets for the Blues Before Window Closes

Chelsea's most prominent change this summer has been replacing Carlo Ancelotti as head coach with Andre Villas-Boas and handing the Portuguese the more authoritative title of manager.

The sole signing so far has been young Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from Racing Club Genk. This will have zero impact though since Chelsea immediately loaned the Belgian International to Atlético Madrid for at least one season.

Barcelona youngster Oriol Romeu should sign too upon his return from Colombia where he is participating in the U20 World Cup for Spain.

As prodigious as these talents are, Chelsea will require a lot more if they are to overhaul champions Manchester United next season, and it would be foolish to think Roman Abramovich would invest so heavily in a new coach without willingly supporting him.

With less than a month to go until the transfer deadline, here are six potential big signings the Blues might make just in time.

Follow @jackalexandros on Twitter.

Romelu Lukaku, Anderlecht and Belgium

The Belgian phenomenon is only 18 years old, but has made it abundantly clear in his first two professional seasons at Anderlecht that he is the real deal.

Lukaku is one of the very few strong, powerful elite center forwards left in the game, which is why such a high price will be required for this commodity.

Despite only a few seasons' experience on the first team, in what would be fair to say one of the weaker leagues in Europe, the price will do little to deter Chelsea considering the other options on the market.

When you consider Lukaku’s versatility and his physical dominance, it is no wonder the Blues are eyeing up the Belgian as a ready-made goal machine with all the attributes to become a success in the Premier League.

In fact, Lukaku has declared on numerous occasions that his ambition is to play in the Premier League, and he would like to do so for Chelsea.

Another advantage for the Blues is that his role model is Didier Drogba. Most importantly for Chelsea, unlike most talented youngsters these days, the Belgian is adamant that he would not shirk the opportunity to make such a big step up in his career immediately.

Confident and ambitious, Lukaku has stated he would be more than prepared to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge right now. Les Mauves are already scouring the market for replacements, a clear indication they are prepared to sell.

The Belgian giants already signed Liverpool’s Milan Jovanovic and are heavily linked with a more like-for-like replacement in Monaco’s Dieumerci Mbokani. It is thought that Anderlecht is prepared to haggle some more, and a figure around €15 million could be a compromise. 

Kaká, Real Madrid and Brazil

 The former Milan superstar has lost his way the last few seasons. Since his move to Real Madrid, the Brazilian has been hindered by injuries.

The worrying sign is that his exceptional form that carried the Rossoneri to the Champions League title was built on explosive bursts from midfield that left the opposition in his wake.

Since the €65 million ($93 million) deal in 2009, the Seleção star has undergone knee surgery and suffered thigh problems, leading many to believe if he can ever be the same player again.

Intermittently though, Kaká has shown glimpses of brilliance at the Bernabéu and actually has a better goal scoring record than his time with Milan. He has scored 15 goals in 39 league appearances, and with Frank Lampard beginning to slow down, Chelsea might be tempted to push through a deal if Real Madrid relents with their extortionate demands.

Any fee exceeding €25 million would dissuade the Blues from making an approach, seeing as the combination of injuries and his age (29) might make it difficult to acclimatize to the rigors of English football.

Radamel Falcao Garcia, FC Porto and Colombia

The original target since Andre Villas-Boas arrived at Stamford Bridge as manager this summer.

Seemingly the chosen one to follow his mentor to London, Falcao instead did the unthinkable and signed a new contract until 2015.

Fans should not be deceived though; rarely do new contracts legitimately end all possibilities of a transfer. Simply put, it gives Porto greater control in the matter and more leverage in any deal-making should they wish to enter negotiations.

Falcao has made it clear he would welcome a move to Chelsea, but he is also satisfied with life in Portugal. Rumours began to emanate out of Spain though this week with Madrid-based newspaper AS revealing that upon signing the new contract and agreeing to a release clause of €45 million ($64 million), there was a stipulation.

If rumors are to be believed, then the Colombian striker negotiated in to the contract that should a club bid the previous release clause (€28 million/$40 million) before September, the Dragões would have to reluctantly accept.

The striker who plays best front to goal with direct attacks, as shown with Porto last season, is less adept at linking play and relies exclusively on snappy service, as also shown by his disappointing form for Colombia in recent years.

It would seem Chelsea already has a striker of a similar ilk in Fernando Torres. Villas-Boas already faces one conundrum as he struggles to fit the Spaniard and Didier Drogba in to the same lineup, so presumably a third striker with an uncomplementary style would not suit the Blues. 

João Moutinho, FC Porto and Portugal

The Portuguese playmaker burst on to the scene in 2005 after a year of cameo appearances with Sporting Lisbon and was earmarked as a star of the future. But as the Leões stalled in their pursuit of trophies, so too did Moutinho's progress.

It took a heartbreaking shock last year when he was left out of Carlos Queiroz’s World Cup squad for the Algarve native to pursue a transfer that would kick start his career once more.

Andre Villas-Boas provided the opportunity, as Moutinho starred in a rampant Porto side that took a clean sweep of the trophies on offer.

Neat, intricate passing and busy movement that persistently allowed teammates an outlet became the trademark of his season. The lack of goals were of little importance, as Moutinho dictated the tempo of each attack and began to become the instrumental figure he always promised to be.

Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, Porto president, has fervently denied any of his players will be sold for anything less than the buyout clause in each one’s contract.

The buyout clause for Moutinho is steep at €40 million ($57 million). It seems outrageous when you consider Porto bought the player for €11 million ($16 million) just 12 months previously. Although his improvement is staggering, it could never justify that sort of investment, and Villas-Boas will be astute enough to realise there are better alternatives if Porto is not willing to budge in their demands.

Prospects of a move did arise again in recent days though, as Portuguese Sports daily A Bola released news that Porto had bought 22.5 percent of Moutinho’s economical rights for €4.1 million ($6.3 million). Porto had previously sold 37.5 percent of his transfer value to an investment fund at the end of last year, so the club now holds 85 percent of Moutinho's economic rights.

This has sparked rumors that the club is prepared to sell, as it is common practice in Portugal to trade the percentages of players’ economic value to investment companies to reduce any potential risk of heavy investment in players. Benfica reacquired the rights to David Luíz just weeks before Chelsea swooped for the Brazilian international.

This is potentially great news for the Blues because if Porto reveals their willingness to sell their Portuguese maestro, then the club can negotiate down the transfer fee with public interest in other targets in their pursuit for the next big name to join the Villas-Boas regime.  

Luka Modric, Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia

The Croatian schemer was in high demand as soon as the transfer window opened this summer with rumoured interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

One of the most protracted transfer sagas of the summer is entering the home straights as just two options seem to be left: a move to Chelsea or remain with Spurs.

Modric spoke out shortly after rumors gathered pace that City was to trump Chelsea with a mega-offer to Spurs. The Croatian declared his desire to remain in London and furthermore join Spurs rival, Chelsea.

Then a bombshell for the diminutive playmaker, as his chairman, Daniel Levy, made a statement emphatically insisting Chelsea had no chance to sign their players in general, and Modric especially was not for sale at any price.

The story progressed in recent weeks as Harry Redknapp and his assistant, Kevin Bond, stated in interviews more than once that the player had a price that they would eventually have to sell.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea will bid once more; after having two bids previously rejected, latest reports suggest a bid in excess of £30 million ($49 million) is being readied by the end of the week.

Again, a long shot, but Chelsea only needs one of these to come off to propel them alongside, if not ahead of, Manchester United as favourites for the Premier League title.

Redknapp is a traditional manager who would be unenthusiastic about keeping a player if he was adamant he was not happy at the club and it could be detrimental to the club atmosphere. This should run until the deadline.

Alexandre Pato, AC Milan and Brazil

Pato has been on Chelsea’s radar for a number of years. The Seleção striker turned down the Blues in 2007 to join AC Milan due to Leonardo’s persuasion, and it has proved costly ever since for Chelsea, who craves somebody with Pato's abilities.

Whilst it is true to say Pato has been hampered by injuries somewhat in his fleeting career so far, his statistics remain exceptional. The "Duck" has notched 50 goals in 102 league games, which is all the more impressive when you consider he does not take penalties or free-kicks.

He is just 21 and is more likely to be the centrepiece of the Brazilian National Team for the 2014 World Cup than the much-raved about Neymar, in the words of coach Mano Menezes.

Chelsea would jump at the chance to sign the player, but Pato seems settled in Milan, and in recent times he has publicly revealed a close relationship with Barbara Berlusconi, which would complicate any move abroad.

But Pato is the perfect wide forward for Chelsea, who require pace and directness in attack, and he would be ideally suited to Villas-Boas’ 4-3-3 formation on either side of Torres.

Milan paid approximately £20 million ($33 million) in 2007 and would probably demand at least double that figure now, which would probably deter Chelsea.

But there is a caveat for Rossoneri fans who remain relaxed about the future of their most valuable asset.

Owner Silvio Berlusconi's holding company, Fininvest, has been embroiled in financial complications that have resulted in the courts determining Fininvest should pay damages to be made payable to rival group CIR. The figure could be as much as $798 million and would actually be made payable in the next 10 days.

This has produced great uncertainty around the club, and although sanctioning the sale of Pato would hardly solve his financial problems, Chelsea’s willingness to involve a player in exchange—such as Nicolas Anelka or Salomon Kalou—might suit all parties.