Top talents on the Stamford Bridge radar.
Jose Mourinho is set to change Chelsea’s squad quite a bit this summer and the Portuguese manager has already got to work with the signings of Andre Schurrle and Marco Van Ginkel. Mourinho will continue to re-shape the Blues squad especially in midfield, where Chelsea were incredibility strong during Mourinho’s last spell at the club. Here at Chelsea’s top five midfield targets this summer.
5- Julian Draxler- Schalke
Draxler is one of the most highly rated young players in Europe at the moment and has already made 6 appearances for the German national team. He looks set to be a major part of Germany’s first team for many years to come and has already expressed a desire to be playing at next summers World Cup in Brazil. His club future is not so certain however, with many teams hoping to convince Draxler to leave Schalke and join them. Chelsea are understood to be the most interested in the 19 year old and have been monitoring his progress for quite some time. Reports have suggested that Chelsea have already approached Draxler about a move to Stamford Bridge this summer but the midfielder is thought to want to stay at Schalke and continue his development. He is concerned that he won’t get enough first team football if he were to move to Stamford Bridge and that could hinder his chances of playing in next summers World Cup.
However, Chelsea have plans for Draxler and might be able to persuade the German to join them by guaranteeing him first team football. Some reports have said that Chelsea could see Draxler as a replacement for Juan Mata, who has been linked with a move away from Chelsea this summer. Speculation has mounted that Mourinho is set to cash in on the Spaniard and spend the money on his own transfer targets and Mata has reportedly become unsettled at the speculation surrounding his future. Should Mata leave the club, Chelsea will need a replacement and they see Draxler as a player who could occupy the play-maker role for many years to come, forming part of the spine of Mourinho’s new team at Chelsea. The Blues will face competition for the signing of the German midfielder, with Real Madrid and Manchester United also showing interest. All three clubs may have to wait until next summer before they can approach Draxler however, unless the 19 year old has a change of heart about his future at Schalke
4- Nemanja Matic- Benfica
Matic has been a revelation for Benfica ever since he moved to Portugal from Chelsea as part of the deal to bring David Luiz to Stamford Bridge in January 2011. The Serbian midfielder has become one of Europe’s most wanted midfielders this summer, with several teams vying for his signature. One of those teams, ironically is Chelsea. During his previous spell at Stamford Bridge, Matic was a fringe player, barely playing in Chelsea’s first team but now he could be back at the club he only left a couple of years ago. Matic’s progression at Benfica has been rapid and Chelsea aren’t the only top club who are after the young Serb. Real Madrid are also thought to be interested in the midfielder, while Manchester United may provide another alternative should Matic not fancy a move back to Chelsea. Benfica have almost resigned themselves to losing Matic but will not let the midfielder go for a cheap fee, especially as he is one of their most important players.
Benfica have lost many quality midfielders in recent years but have always been able to sell the players for a lot of money and they will look to do the same if they do have to sell Matic to a bigger club. Reports suggest that Real Madrid are prepared to offer Benfica £25 million for the midfielder and Chelsea may also look to match the Spanish giants bid however Benfica may want the two clubs to go higher and get closer to the £30 million mark.
3- Marouane Fellaini- Everton
The powerful Belgian has been linked with Chelsea almost since he came to England from Standard Liege. Everton paid the Belgian club £15 million for Fellaini and they have certainly got the moneys worth, with the player becoming one of the most highly rated central midfielders in the Premier League. Fellaini is very versatile, being able to play as a deep lying midfielder or as an attacking midfielder that is playing just off the striker. He is also incredibility effective from set pieces, scoring many headed goals that a striker would be proud of. It is these attributes that Chelsea wish to sign Fellaini for and this summer it looks like they will step up their interest for him. Mourinho is desperate to sign a powerful central midfielder that he can mould his new look team around. When he was last at Chelsea, Mourinho built his teams around the likes of Claude Makelele and Michael Essien, who would control the midfield area and mean that the likes of Frank Lampard would be able to get forward into a position that they could do the most damage in.
Mourinho is looking to re-create that with Fellaini and could be set to bid £22 million for Belgian. £22 million is the fee that will activate Fellaini’s buy-out clause, meaning Everton have no choice but to accept the offer. Fellaini is certainly within Chelsea’s price range but the Blues are set to face competition for the midfielders signature, with Arsenal and Manchester United also eyeing up the Belgian. Reports suggested that Arsenal had already activated Fellaini’s buy out clause and were close to agreeing personal terms with the midfielder while Manchester United are hoping to re-united Fellaini with his former manager David Moyes, who recently took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Moyes enjoyed a good relationship with Fellaini and this could help the Red Devils to sign the highly rated midfielder. However, Chelsea are still in the hunt and a bidding war could be about to start between the three interested teams.
2- Wesley Sneijder- Galatasaray
The Dutch midfielder enjoys an excellent relationship with Jose Mourinho due to pairs time working together at Inter Milan. Sneijder certainly played his best football under the Portuguese manager and became one of the best midfielders in Europe because of Mourinho’s influences. However, times have been tough for the midfielder, who recently had a huge falling out with Inter and had to leave the club in January, moving to Turkish giants Galatasaray. His time in Turkey has been successful and Sneijder has worked his way back up to somewhere near his best and now rumours suggest that Mourinho could be looking to bring the Dutchman to Stamford Bridge this summer. Mourinho would love to be re-united with Sneijder and he knows how to get the best out of the midfielder. The Portuguese manager loves players who score goals from midfield, in the mould of a Frank Lampard and Sneijder would certainly do that for him. With Lampard getting much older and no longer sure of a starting place in Chelsea’s midfield, Mourinho could bring Sneijder in to score the goals that Lampard always did, even though the English midfielder will still be at Stamford Bridge next season.
Mourinho could also see Sneijder as a man to replace Juan Mata, who has been linked with a move away from Chelsea this summer. Reports suggest that Mourinho is willing to cash in on Mata and sign his own players and he could use the money from the Mata sale to sign Sneijder. However, the Dutchman has commented on speculation about a move to Chelsea and has said that it is unlikely to happen this summer as he doesn’t want to be disloyal to Galatasaray. However, he did also say that he maybe more likely to consider a move away from the Turkish club in the January transfer window.
1- Daniele De Rossi- AS Roma
The Italian is seen as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and Mourinho is known to be a great admired of De Rossi, having tried to sign him twice already. Mourinho failed to bring De Rossi to Inter Milan or Real Madrid but he could succeed in persuading the Italian to join him at Chelsea. De Rossi has had a difficult season at Roma, falling out with his old manager and spending most of the season on the bench, an unusual position for someone who is used to playing at the heart of Roma’s midfield. De Rossi was close to a move to Manchester City last summer but choose to stay with the Italian club. He has a huge love of Roma and has been with the club for all his career but many have been stating that it might be time to try a new challenge, with Italy’s national coach Cesere Prandelli stating that De Rossi would benefit from a change of scenery.
That new scenery could be Stamford Bridge, with both Chelsea and De Rossi interested in a move. The Italian admires the Premier League and Mourinho would love to build his new look midfield around De Rossi. Reports have suggested that the Italian could be available for around £15 million, which is a small price to pay for a player with his skill and experience. However, the Blues will face competition for De Rossi’s signature, with Paris St Germain and Real Madrid interested in the midfielder. Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is a fan of De Rossi having seen him plenty of times during his management spells in Italy and could look to persuade the Italian to join him at the Bernabeu while PSG have money to burn and could offer De Rossi a huge contract that he may find hard to turn down. However, it does seem that Chelsea are favourites to sign De Rossi at the moment and Mourinho would love to have the Italian in his first team come the first day of the new Premier League season.