Chelsea told to pay up for surprise target.
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Chelsea transfer news
Chelsea will have to cough up as much as £30m to sign West Ham United forward Enner Valencia this summer, according to latest reports.
The Blues have been linked with the Ecuador international in the past, though their pursuit of the 25-year-old is somewhat puzzling after a less than amazing first season in England.
Valencia, playing both up front and out wide, managed just five goals and three assists in all competitions in 2014/15, but has had a big-money price tag slapped onto his head by the Hammers, according to the Daily Express.
It may be that Chelsea are not after a big name up front this year, but instead want a player to have as a backup to star striker Diego Costa, with Didier Drogba leaving the club at the end of his contract and Loic Remy also being linked with an exit as Swansea City join the running, according to the Daily Mirror.
Still, it remains to be seen if Chelsea would pay the £30m that the Express claims West Ham would want for the player, who has surely not done enough to justify that kind of transfer fee based on performances so far.
The Hammers clearly see enough potential in Valencia that they want to keep hold of him for next season, and it may well be that the forward has shown enough potential to convince his current employers that he will improve with time, after a year of settling in at Upton Park.