Stamford Bridge boss ready to spend big in pursuit of further squad improvements.
Jose Mourinho is ready to step-up his pursuit of a quartet of targets he feels will help to further strengthen a squad he believes can challenge for major silverware in 2013/14.
CaughtOffside understands that the returning Blues boss has been handed a massive transfer fund warchest and has earmarked moves for four talents Mourinho will look to sign before the end of July as he sets about conducting his summer transfer business sooner rather than later in an effort to ‘bed-in’ new additions before the new season kicks off in mid August.
Jose Mourinho has publicly stated his interest in unhappy Man United striker Wayne Rooney and will push on with efforts to land the 27 year old England man.
The Chelsea manager believes his side are the front-runners in the chase to sign Rooney and is ready to increase his earlier bid to £35m which he feels will be enough to convince the Premier League title holders to sell the striker who is seemingly likely to leave Old Trafford this summer.
Rooney has voiced his ‘anger and confusion’ at comments made by boss David Moyes related to his supporting role at the club and is set to put in an official transfer request, a request that Man United may feel they have no choice other than to accept.
With two years left on his contract an offer of £35m is an acceptable one and will see Chelsea bring in a much needed spearhead for their attack. Though Mourinho is keen to give Romelu Lukaku a chance to shine he is ready to listen to offers for both Fernando Torres and Demba Ba and has the backing of owner Roman Abramovich to offer Wayne Rooney a massive £270k a week contract which will see the forward become the Blues top earner.
Mourinho is convinced that Rooney can re-capture his best form and provide Chelsea with the prolific goal-scorer they so desire having missed out on their top target Edinson Cavani, who opted to move to PSG this month.
Mourinho will then switch his attention to strengthening his midfield and will make the £23.5m bid necessary to trigger the release clause written into Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini’s contract.
The Chelsea boss is looking to re-shuffle his midfield pack and is ready to listen to offer for John Obi Mikel and has already loaned out Spaniard Oriol Romeu to Valencia and will look to Belgian international Fellaini to offer a steely presence to bring balance to a side full of creative talents.
Fellaini has recently talked of his desire to adopt a more defensively minded role and clearly the Everton man has the physical presence to do so. The Toffees midfielder also has an eye for goal, netting a dozen goals last term, and it’s that adaptability that has led Mourinho to pursue the signing of the 25 year old.
Mourinho is aware that an opening bid for Fellaini will spark interest from a number of other interested parties, Man United boss David Moyes also being keen on the midfield powerhouse, but the Chelsea boss is confident he can lure the Belgian to Stamford Bridge where he would join compatriots Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne in the Blues first team set-up.
Though Chelsea have a fair few central defensive options Jose Mourinho is looking to complete a move to sign FC Porto youngster Eliaquim Mangala and is ready to push through an £18m bid for the French international this summer.
There is growing speculation that Mourinho may be ready to listen to big money offers for David Luiz who is seen by the Chelsea boss as error prone and lacking the maturity and consistency in a defensive role and may not be a player he feels can adequately fill a central midfield role. Barcelona and PSG are both genuinely interested in the Brazilian and any successful bid will see requisite funds used to sign 22 year old Mangala.
Though Mourinho is ready to offer John Terry a first team lifeline, with interim boss Rafa Benitez using the former England man sparingly, the Portuguese manager is well aware that the 32 year old is in the latter stages of his Chelsea career and as such is looking to bring in the FC Porto battler to act as a long term replacement for the club captain.
Jose Mourinho is also keen to Chelsea’s continuing push to bring in youthful additions and having signed Marco Van Ginkel and Andre Schurrle the former Real Madrid boss is looking to clinch a deal to sign highly rated Portuguese forward Bruma.
The Sporting Lisbon teenager has made it abundantly clear he wishes to force through a move to Chelsea, having learned of the West London club’s interest in his services following a successful scouting mission during the recent Under-20 World Cup, and now a move is seemingly dependent solely on the two club’s agreeing a price for the youngster.
The starlet impressed at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, scoring five goals in four games, and Chelsea are ready to spend £10m up front to land the forward dubbed the ‘New Cristiano Ronaldo’, who made his debut for Sporting Lisbon in February and has made a total of 13 appearances for the Primeira Liga side having moved to the club six years ago.
Sporting Lisbon are thought to be keen on adding appearances related bonuses and are looking to secure a percentage of any future sale of the Guinea-Bissau born starlet.