Chelsea
Chelsea Set To Battle Real Madrid For £42m-Rated Midfielder
Chelsea are set to go head-to-head with Spanish giants Real Madrid over the signing of Benfica’s highly-rated midfielder Nemanja Matic, according to the Metro.
With the summer transfer window set to open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Chelsea face fight to land Matic.
Chelsea are set to go head-to-head with Real Madrid over the signing of Benfica’s highly-rated midfielder Nemanja Matic, according to the Metro.
The 24-year-old spent two unsuccessful seasons in west London between 2009-2011 that saw him only make 2 appearances for the first team before moving to Portugal from Chelsea in January 2011 as part of the deal that saw David Luiz move to Stamford Bridge.
He’s gone on to rejuvenate his career at Benfica, helping them push Porto all the way in the title race last season as well as putting in an eye-catching display against Chelsea in the Europa League final.
The Metro claim new Blues boss Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer of the midfielders and he’s understood to be keen on bringing him in this summer as he re-shapes his squad ahead of an assault on the Premier League next season.
John Obi Mikel’s future at the Bridge has come under question following Mourinho’s arrival and a potential switch to Galatasaray could leave a hole in the Chelsea squad, and Matic could be the ideal candidate to fill it.
However, it seems Chelsea won’t have things all their own way with the report suggesting Mourinho’s former side Real Madrid are also hot on the trail of the Serbian international with new boss Carlo Ancelotti believed to also be a huge fan.
Chelsea have previous with Benfica having signed both Luiz and Ramires from them in recent years and they will no doubt hope their strong relationship will work in their favour in any negotiations, but the Metro claim the Portuguese outfit are determined to hang on to Matic and will demand the full value of his £42m release clause, which is likely to deter both the Blues and Madrid.
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