Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho could be set to continue his summer spending by offering a player-plus-cash deal for Inter Milan starlet Mauro Icardi, as he seeks to construct a front-line capable of challenging on all fronts. Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Mourinho is a keen admirer of the 21-year-old forward, and could push forward with a proposal to his current club in order to seal his signature. It’s believed however that Inter wouldn’t be willing to part ways with their talented youngster unless they were offered an incredibly lucrative package, and so Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku could find himself included to sweeten the deal, along with €10million. Despite having proved himself more than capable of cutting it in front of goal at the highest level, the striker is tipped to struggle to force his way into Mourinho’s plans, and including him as a method of lowering a price for a top target would be an ideal way for the Special One to offload him. The Blues have made it clear that their transfer priorities lie mainly in improving their edge in front of goal, as the trio of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o left plenty to be desired last term. It’s thought that Diego Costa is on the verge of completing a £32million move to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid, and Icardi could be the second striker to join Mourinho’s revolution if a deal is made. Of course they will face competition from Inter, as Erik Thohir is intent on building an accomplished side of his own which is capable of returning his club to its former glory days. In Icardi they have a recognised talent who has established himself as a promising prospect for the future, and it goes without saying that he’s the type of player they will look to hold onto if they can. On the other hand the acquisition of Lukaku would provide them with a strong and able goalscorer who has good experience under his belt and could be lethal in the Serie A. The 21-year-old forward would walk into most other teams in Europe, and Mourinho’s hesitance at giving him a shot in his Chelsea first-team has baffled many. However it looks as though the Portuguese boss is hell-bent on installing change this summer, and his activity in the transfer market suggests that he’ll do all he can to ensure that his side are every bit as dangerous as those they are looking to trump next year. Having signed Francesc Fabregas from Barcelona as a replacement for Frank Lampard the Blues are arguably already a stronger outfit than they were during their last campaign, and if they manage to bring the right strikers in they could well find themselves installed as favourites for the Premier League in the coming months. #gweta
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 12:57:44 +0000
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