Chelsea were linked with various attacking players through the summer, as the club’s board attempted to shake the squad up for new manager Antonio Conte. The Blues were unsuccessful in these attempts, with deadline day panic buys of Marcos Alonso and David Luiz compounding a miserable summer for fans.
One of the targets Antonio Conte’s side were linked with heavily was Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez. The Colombian playmaker had links to London right down to the wire.
Rodriguez remained in Madrid, where he is now playing even less than last season. A move still looks set for next summer for Rodriguez, maybe even before. Rumours from Italy’s Gazzetta Dello Sport today claim that Inter Milan had a £76m bid rejected in the summer. If that is indeed the case it’s no wonder Chelsea weren’t able to sign him, and unless they miraculosly get back into the Champions League or Roman Abramovic suddenly decides to open his wallet again, “James Bond” will be more “Mission Impossible” for Chelsea this summer yet again.