Mourinho keeps sights on striker
CHELSEA have had a £50-million (R872-million) bid for Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín (pictured
left) rejected as Jose Mourinho tries to add some much-needed firepower to his attack.
Napoli have not given any encouragement to Chelsea in their efforts to land Higuaín and insist that the Argentine, who played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, is not for sale. Higuaín has scored nine goals in 16 Serie A games since moving from Spain to Italy in the northern summer.
The Italian club’s stance may not deter Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who agrees the lack of goals from strikers is the major weakness in the side. He is willing to back Mourinho in the transfer market, even though the club posted losses of almost £50-million (R874-million) last season.
With German club Wolfsburg keen to sign Kevin de Bruyne, Chelsea hope to receive as much as £25-million (R436-million) for the Belgian international who has rarely played this season. That will help Chelsea finance the move for a forward, with other sales likely this month to help balance the books.
Juan Mata has been told by Mourinho he still has a future at the club but cannot be guaranteed a starting position. A bid of more than £20-million (R348-million) would be a tempting offer for Chelsea to part with him, particularly as Mata knows he needs to be playing regularly to keep his place in the Spain side.
Should Chelsea sign a centre-forward this January, Demba Ba, 28, has been told he will be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge. Ba thought he was going to Arsenal on loan in the northern summer, but Chelsea cancelled the proposed transfer on deadline day when Arsene Wenger landed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid as they feared the threat of a resurgent London rival.
Senegal striker Ba is frustrated about a lack of first-team opportunities and is likely to attract interest from former club Newcastle United, as well as West Ham and Fulham, should Chelsea give the green light to his departure.
Ba moved to Stamford Bridge only 12 months ago, but has struggled to persuade Mourinho he is good enough to play regularly for a team looking to mount a title challenge.