Options the Stamford Bridge side can turn to if their push to bring in the Old Trafford star fail to succeed.
Eleven transfer alternatives to Man United’s Wayne Rooney for Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho has claimed it’s Wayne Rooney or bust for Chelsea this summer but the Blues seem to be going out of their way not to sign the Man United striker…a £25m bid? No way, Jose!
With United seemingly desperate not to sell to a title rival, we consider 11 top class centre-forwards who the Blues may turn to in search of a striker.
Robert Lewandowski
With the Bundesliga season already underway, it seems unlikely Dortmund would allow their star player to depart. But Lewandowski is certainly keen to move, moaning this week that Dortmund’s refusal to sell him to rivals Bayern Munich was ‘unfair’ (behave, Robert!).
The prolific Pole clearly fancies the Allianz Arena but Mou will know all about Lew, who scored four goals against Mourinho’s Real Madrid side in the Champions League semi-final last season. Chelsea have been credited with an interest in the 24-year-old in the past and Dortmund may be more willing to negotiate with a non-direct rival.
This article originally appeared on the always excellent Fanatix
Hulk
The Brazilian striker has long been on Chelsea’s radar and was reportedly the Blues top target last summer, before his surprise move to Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg for €40m. The 27-year-old has hardly lived up to his price tag however, netting just 12 goals in 34 appearances for Zenit.
The former Porto man is reportedly unhappy and his place in the Brazil starting XI is under threat after some uninspiring performances at this summer’s Confederations Cup. Zenit would demand at least their money back for the powerful forward though.
Stefen Kiessling
The only man to outscore Lewandowski in the Bundesliga last term was Bayer Leverkusen’s Kiessling, who netted an impressive 25 goals in just 34 appearances and also notched up seven assists.
The 29-year-old signed a new contract with Bayer only last month and with Champions League football to look forward again next season, his departure would come as a shock. But Chelsea have to financial muscle to force a sale and the six-cap German international will come highly-recommended by the Blues new winger Andre Schurrle.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The man with the highest combined transfer fees in history could yet have another move in him and Chelsea are one of the few clubs in world football who could afford the maverick Swede’s transfer fee and weekly wage packet.
Ibra knows Mourinho well having worked under the Portuguese at Inter Milan and there has been suggestion that the 31-year-old has not taken kindly to being usurped by £55m PSG new-boy Edinson Cavani, who admitted this week he would be ‘surprised’ but ‘not disappointed’ if Ibra left the Parc des Princes.
Luis Suarez
The Liverpool striker has dominated the headlines more than any other player this summer (with the possible exception of Gareth Bale…thanks Marca!) but there could yet be a huge twist in the Suarez saga if Chelsea enter the bidding.
The Uruguayan has made it clear he’s desperate to leave Liverpool for a Champions League club, and the 26-year-old doesn’t seem particularly fussed where he goes. Chelsea, meanwhile, want a proven world-class centre forward and the Reds may be more willing to flog to the Blues than Arsenal, given Mourinho’s side should be challenging for the title rather than competing for fourth place.
Luis Muriel
The Colombian looks likely to end up in the Premier League eventually, with Anfield a possible destination for the Udinese man. Muriel earned plenty of admirers with 11 Serie A goals and three assists last term but, at 22, he remains raw and is just two years older than promising Belgian Romelu Lukaku, who already boasts a season of Premier League experience.
Samuel Eto’o
The Cameroonian is said to be the world’s best paid player in world football but looks likely to take a hefty pay-cut before the end of the summer, with current club Anzhi conducting a real-life fire sale! The Russian club are ready to sell all their top earners as they look to slash spending by over 50%.
Chelsea have already been linked with Eto’o, who worked with Mourinho at Inter Milan. At 32, the former Champions League winner is past his best but still has quality in abundance to interest the Blues.
Didier Drogba
Mourinho has already evoked the spirit of the great Ivorian on more than one occasion since returning to Stamford Bridge, insisting his latest crop of youngsters should try to emulate Chelsea’s greatest ever player.
There is little doubt that Mourinho admires Drogba immensely but at 35, the powerful striker’s best days are behind him and he would struggle to reproduce his form of old consistently.
That said, there would be few better role models in world football for young Lukaku. What’s more, Drobga proved he’s still got it with a devastating second half performance against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup this summer, winning and scoring a penalty and scoring a brilliant left foot strike as the Turks triumphed 2-1. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he could be back in London before the end of this month.
Karim Benzema
Real Madrid have already sold Gonzalo Higuain this summer and the Catalans would be foolhardy to allow Benzema to follow the Argentine out of the club. But with the La Liga giants struggling to afford Spurs’ £105m asking price for Gareth Bale and suggestions that new boss Carlo Ancelotti may move Cristiano Ronaldo into a central striking position to accomodate the Welshman, Benzema could yet leave the Bernabeu this summer.
Mourinho will of course know all about the £40m-rated France international, who has bagged a hugely impressive 87 goals and 49 assists for 183 games for Los Blancos and is in his prime at 25.
Jackson Martinez
Porto have made it clear the Colombian striker will not be sold for a penny less than his €40m buy-out clause – a factor that means Chelsea could actually buy the 26-year-old with relatively little fuss.
Martinez has only spent one season in Europe but wowed fans with 26 Primiera Liga goals in just 30 appearances, plus three in eight in the Champions League. The 6’2″ forward possesses height, pace, strength and a calm head in front of goal, and there’s little doubt Mourinho will have kept an eye on his progress at his former club.
Pablo Osvaldo
The Roma striker may not be an A-List name but the 27-year-old is available for transfer this summer and 16 goals in 24 Serie A starts last season suggests he knows where the net is.
The Italian fell out with Roma’s bosses at the end of last season and would be a cheap option for the Blues. But it’s debatable that he’d be a significant upgrade on Chelsea’s current crop of strikers, making a deal seem unlikely.
This article originally appeared on the always excellent Fanatix