Chelsea could be set to offer Mohamed Salah as part of a €65 million deal to land Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann this summer.
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Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claim that the Premier League champions have previously offered €50 million for the French forward; however, the Blues were swiftly informed by the Liga BBVA giants that they will not accept a bid of less than €65 million.
It seems that the west London outfit aren’t willing to cough up the fee for the 24-year-old, but are preparing a player-plus-cash deal involving Salah, according to the Italian source.
The Egyptian winger has struggled for playing time since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Basel last January, and secured a six-month loan deal to Serie A side Fiorentina on the deadline of last season’s winter window.
His form was impressive in Italy, as he scored six goals and registered three assists in 10 league starts – and as such, Mourinho may feel that his stock has risen. The winger could therefore prove to be a handy bargaining tool during summer transfer negotiations.
Chelsea have been heavily linked to Griezmann – who scored 22 goals in his debut campaign at the Estadio Vicente Calderon – over the past few months, as Mourinho looks to bring in world-class quality to compete with Diego Costa in attack. The Spaniard is currently the Portuguese manager’s undisputed first-choice centre forward, although having lost Didier Drogba on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, Mourinho appears keen to bring in further offensive talents.
Blues fans are still awaiting an exciting addition to their squad, with the only notable likely activity in the window so far being Petr Cech’s rumoured agreed move to Arsenal [Sky Sports], and the imminent announcement of Radamel Falcao’s season-long Stamford Bridge loan [Sky Sports].
The possible arrival of Griezmann, however, would certainly show that the former Real Madrid boss won’t be relinquishing his side’s crown as English champions without a fight!