Chelsea’s January signing Juan Cuadrado is considering forcing through an exit from Stamford Bridge in the summer, and is seeking a return to Serie A following an unsettling six months in London.
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The Express claim that while the Colombian winger is already eyeing a transfer in the same year that he joined the club, Jose Mourinho could also be willing to sell – but only if a replacement is found first.
The newspaper claim that replacement could be Benfica winger Nicolas Gaitan, though the West London outfit would have to fend off interest from rivals Manchester United for the £21m-rated Argentine.
Cuadrado has played only 312 minutes under Mourinho since moving in the winter window, with the Portuguese manager remaining loyal to the Blues side that had maintained their leading position in England’s top flight.
While the stats don’t appear promising for the Colombia international – no goals, no assists, just 0.7 shots per game, 0.5 key passes per game and only 0.4 dribbles per game [via WhoScored] – it’s crucial to remember that this is a player who arrived into a side that was on course for the Premier League title – an XI that Jose Mourinho wasn’t eager to unsettle with a new signing. Rightly so, as Chelsea went on to lift the trophy that had eluded the club for the past five seasons with an established line up.
The work on integrating Cuadrado into the Chelsea squad therefore begins over the summer; if he knuckles down in pre-season, he could well capture Mourinho’s eye.
What’s more, the 27-year-old described his £23.3m switch from Fiorentina to Chelsea as a ‘dream’ upon joining [in quotes from Goal.com], and it’s difficult to envisage the attacker wanting to give up so soon after fulfilling his fantasy transfer.