Mourinho closing in on sensational double swoop.
Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts
Chelsea are reportedly in advanced talks to bring in two new big names upfront, with the signings of Hulk from Zenit St Petersburg and Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski.
New Blues manager Jose Mourinho has gone all out to replace the club’s current faltering strike pair of Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, who only scored two goals between them in the Premier League in 2012/13.
Torres has flopped spectacularly since joining Chelsea from rivals Liverpool for a club record £50million in 2011, and although Roman Abramovich has been keen to keep faith with his most expensive acquisition, it appears he has finally lost patience with the 29-year-old, who could be set for Serie A with Napoli or Fiorentina, or even a surprise move to Barcelona.
And although Ba has only been at the club since moving from Newcaslte in January, he has failed to reproduce his best form that saw him become one of the league’s deadliest finishers at St James’ Park. The Senegalese international is now wanted on loan by West Ham, and Mourinho is said to be happy to offload him as well as Torres.
Mourinho has been working hard to sign Edinson Cavani for Chelsea, competing with the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid for the Uruguayan over the last few months, though he now looks set to choose a move to the Bernabeu over the Premier League.
After also missing out on Radamel Falcao earlier in the summer, with the Colombian choosing a move to Monaco from Atletico Madrid, Chelsea’s main targets will now be Lewandowski and Hulk, in a combined move of around £70million.
Most of that fee will go on Hulk, as Zenit St Petersburg are keen to make back much of the £50million they paid for the Brazilian when they signed him from Porto. The 26-year-old has a reputation as one of the best attacking players in the world, though he has struggled to settle in in Russian football. His agent recently spoke of interest from Chelsea and it looks like a move may not be far from completion now.
The strong and skillful forward would be perfect for Chelsea’s style of play, as he resembles the playing style of Blues legend Didier Drogba, with both his physique, technique and powerful shooting. His ability to play wide will also be useful to Mourinho, who may play with only one main striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Up top for Chelsea will likely be Lewandowski, who is likely to move to England now after demanding to leave Borussia Dortmund. Although the Polish international was keen to sign for Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, he has been told he will not be allowed to join Mario Goetze as the second star player to leave the club for their rivals this summer.
Manchester United are also keen on the 24-year-old, but Chelsea look likely to beat the Red Devils to his signature, completing an exciting new-look attack at Stamford Bridge for next season.