Chelsea are once again in pole position to
sign in-demand Atletico Madrid striker
Radamel Falcao after Manchester City cooled
their interest, according to the Sunday
Mirror. The report claims that Atletico
general manager Migel Angel Gil Marin and
Falcao’s agent Jorge Mendes met with City’s
new sporting director Txiki Begiristan last
week but were told that the Premier League
champions would not be making a firm
offer for the prolific Colombian.
While the Mirror claims that the situation
could change if City find a buyer for striker
Mario Balotelli, the news, if true will come as
a boost to Chelsea, who would doubtless
have been loathed to get into a bidding war
with City and their vast wealth. However, the
Blues may still face competition from Real
Madrid for Falcao’s signature.
Chelsea’s need for a striker has been
exacerbated in recent weeks with Fernando
Torres continuing to struggle to produce
the goods amid the club going on a dismal
run of two points from four Premier League
games.
The Daily Mail reports that Torres could be
left out of Chelsea’s crucial Champions
League encounter against Juventus in Turin
on Tuesday, further calling into question his
future at the club. According to the Mail,
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready
to dispense with the £50 million signing and
now Torres is ready for a move back to
Spain.
It is mooted that Torres could rejoin former
club Atletico Madrid as part of a deal to
bring Falcao to Stamford Bridge.
That may not be the end of the
strengthening to the Blues’ front line, with
the Sunday People reporting that
Abramovich is seeking to combine Falcao
with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez in a new
look Chelsea attack. According to the story,
Abramovich believes Suarez can be tempted
to Stamford Bridge if Pep Guardiola is
appointed as manager.
The Chelsea manager’s job has come back
into the spotlight of late with the pressure
said to be mounting on Roberto Di Matteo
following recent results.
Suarez has recently been linked with a big-
money move to Manchester City, although
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has
quashed talk of the Uruguayan leaving
Anfield. The People claims that Liverpool will
ask for £50 million for Suarez and that
Abramovich is ready to pay that sum.
Particularly with Financial Fair Play rules set
to be implemented it seems implausible that
Chelsea will spend what would likely amount
to close to £100 million on two forwards.
Some money could soon come off the
Chelsea wage bill, with Ashley Cole linked
with a January move to Real Madrid by the
Daily Mirror. The 31-year-old left-back is out
of contract at the end of the season and his
future is in doubt due to Chelsea’s policy of
not offering players over the age of 30
longer than one-year deals.
The move could make sense with Cole
having reportedly remained close with Real
Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. Cole has
also been linked with a reunion with
another of his former Chelsea managers in
current Paris Saint-Germain boss Carlo
Ancelotti.. Front page pls