Chelsea Hire Super-Agent To Negotiate £20m Deal For Porto Ace

Despite the summer transfer window being closed there is still plenty of gossip in the newspapers, so we’ll keep you up to date on all the latest transfer news. Today, Chelsea are linked with Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala.

Chelsea have hired super-agent Jorge Mendes to try and negotiate a deal with Porto for highly-rated defender Eliaquim Mangala, according to the Mirror.

The 22-year-old was heavily linked with a move to England in the summer with Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly keen on luring him to the Premier League, but a deal failed to materialise and the centre-back stayed at Porto.

However, the Mirror claim Jose Mourinho has not given up hope of bringing the French international to Stamford Bridge and has turned to super-agent Jorge Mendes to try and negotiate a deal with the Portuguese outfit.

Mourinho has endured a difficult start to life back in west London and has drawn criticism for some of his team selections, including the lack of faith being shown in fan-favourite David Luiz.

The newspaper suggests that the former Madrid boss wants Mangala to replace the afro-haired Brazilian as he feels he has the perfect balance of pace and power, and he’s willing to pay £20m to secure his services when the transfer window re-opens in January.

However, the report claims that with big-spending Monaco also interested, Porto are demanding the full £40m required to trigger the players release clause, meaning any negotiations are likely to be complicated hence the reason the Blues have turned to Mendes to broker the deal.

Mangala is certainly a huge talent and has all the attributes to become one of the best centre-backs in Europe, and with John Terry the wrong side of 30 and Mourinho seemingly not a fan of Luiz, Chelsea could do a lot worse than signing the powerful defender if they get the chance.

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