Our next club for potential new signings is Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho has already made his first signing in his second spell as Chelsea manager with the capture of Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Andre Schurrle—a deal which was actually done back in April. Mourinho will no doubt want to add to the capture of Schurrle and is also expected to sell players. Demba Ba, Fernando Torres, Victor Moses and David Luiz are rumoured to be heading for the exit door. John Terry could also leave as Mourinho has warned he will not be guaranteed a first-team place. Meanwhile, the Blues will be desperate to keep hold of Juan Mata, who is a target for Barcelona. Who might Mourinho consider bringing in now? It’s unlikely he’s going to sign five players so here are four options he may consider:
Wayne Rooney (Striker, Manchester United)
Should he leave Old Trafford, Chelsea are favourites to sign Rooney. It is unlikely the England striker will want to move abroad and Chelsea’s superior financial muscle means they are a more likely destination than London rivals Arsenal. It is a near certainty that Mourinho will want to add a striker to his squad. With one or both of Demba Ba and Fernando Torres likely to leave, Chelsea would only be left with Romelu Lukaku who will not be sent out on loan again after an impressive season with West Brom. Rooney is proven at Premier League level and if United do decide to sell, then expect Mourinho to step up the chase. There are other viable options in the striking department, although Chelsea will face competition from a host of tops clubs should they decide to move for any one of Edinson Cavani of Napoli, Stevan Jovetic of Fiorentina, Edin Dzeko of Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski.
Wesley Sneijder (Midfielder, Galatasaray)
Sneijder only joined Galatasaray in January, but has been keen on a move to the Premier League for a long time. After long being linked with Manchester United, a transfer to Old Trafford never came off and Chelsea is now his most likely destination in England due to the presence of Mourinho, who guided Sneijder’s former club Inter to a treble in 2010. A price tag of over £12 million for a player who recently turned 29, could put off the Blues, however. Another midfield option is Everton’s Marouane Fellaini, although Arsenal are favourites to sign the Belgian. Other names mentioned are Xabi Alonso, who has yet to agree a new contract with Mourinho’s former club Real Madrid, along with his teammate Luka Modric, Benfica’s former Chelsea player Nemanja Matic, Schalke’s youngster Julian Draxler, Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas and Sevilla’s 20-year-old Frenchman Geoffrey Kondogbia.
Marco van Ginkel (Attacking midfielder, Vitesse)
Van Ginkel is one of the hottest properties in European football right now. At just 20 years of age, he has already racked up over 100 appearances for Vitesse and looks ready for a move to a bigger club. He scored eight Eredivisie goals last term as his club recorded their highest ever finish of fourth and made his full Holland debut at the back end of 2012 against Germany. Chelsea would have to compete with other clubs for his signature and with the likes of new signing Shurrle, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar all likely to be in front of him in the pecking order, opportunities could be limited, as Chelsea’s forgotten man Kevin De Bruyne, who looks set to leave without playing for the Blues’ first team, has found out. However, Chelsea do have the financial clout to beat off competitors for his signature, with Ajax already admitting Chelsea’s interest suggests they may not be in a position to move for van Ginkel.
Eliaquim Mangala (Defender, FC Porto)
Mangala has established himself in the past season as first choice at Porto and has attracted the attention of a number of top clubs, including Chelsea, Paris St. Germain and Manchester United. Mourinho sees Mangala, 22, as an ideal replacement for John Terry, should the former England captain not be content with being behind the likes of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic in the pecking order. Despite starting his career in Belgium with Standard Liege, Mangala was born in Paris and has been capped once by France at international level. He has played down talk of a move, but is likely to be tempted should one or more of Europe’s superpowers come calling. The biggest stumbling block with a deal could be the price. Mangala has a £30 million release clause in his contract but Chelsea are reluctant to pay such a fee for somebody who is unproven at the very top level. Another French defender who has been linked is 18-year-old Kurt Zouma of St. Ettiene. Zouma has, however, been more strongly linked with Liverpool and Juventus.
What do you think? Are these good options for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments section below, on Facebook or on Twitter.
