Chelsea have begun talks to sign Fiorentina midfielder Juan Cuadrado, according to sources in Italy. Despite Jose Mourinho stating that an ideal January transfer window for him would be one without any incomings or outgoings, the Colombian is a player he is very interested in.
The story was reported earlier by Calciomercato, which stated that along with Chelsea, Spanish duo Barcelona and Real Madrid along with Seria A side Roma were also interested in signing Cuadrado. The Blues’ negotiations with Fiorentina were subsequently confirmed on Twitter by reputed Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano.
Mourinho is interested in #Cuadrado. Now he’ll choose if try with Fiorentina now or on summer. Talks started. 35M€ release clause #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 20, 2015
Whether Chelsea need him or not though, is quite another thing. My fellow writer Saikat wrote on the topic earlier today, and further advances on the transfer story have given it a new angle. While it cannot be argued that Chelsea already have quite a few midfielders in their ranks, Mourinho hardly buys a player he doesn’t have some sort of plan for. The manager obviously believes he can mould Cuadrado into a player that fits the Chelsea system well.
Cuadrado was one of the star performers for the Colombian national side at the World Cup finals in Brazil last June. Despite being overshadowed by James Rodriguez, the 26 year-old’s performances were vital in his side upsetting the odds and reaching the last 8. Several clubs have been looking to secure his services since, with a lot of rumours linking him to Manchester United in the summer. Now though, it looks like Chelsea are in the front seat.
This is not good news though, for Andre Schurrle. After being on the fringes for large parts this season, there have been several reports linking him with a move away from Stamford Bridge. Despite the German firmly stating his desire to stay, a good offer for him, like the €30 million Wolfsburg have reportedly made for him, may be difficult for the club to refuse.
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