Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[Leif 6,006]

I'd love Mangala. I think he and Varane will be France's top centre-back pairing for the next decade if he moves to a bigger club than Porto.

[jeronimo 130]

Never heard of him.

Young French player playing for Porto.

If we could grab him and Moutinho I would be very happy.

[Special Juan 27,104]

Sooner we concentrated on areas that need attention. Defence is fine IMO.

[mediator 2,026]

Vermaelen could leave Arsenal if an offer of 5M£ arrives

[Rmpr 8,977]

So, Monaco are buying Falcao + Moutinho + James Rodriguez + Kaka, but they are refusing to pay 200mi in taxes? :lol2:

[nono 791]

Chelsea set to miss out on Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski and Falcao

Chelsea face a summer of frustration in the transfer market, as their top striking targets look like playing elsewhere next season.

With Jose Mourinho expected to be confirmed as their new manager shortly after his last game in charge of Real Madrid on June 1, a shortlist of forwards has already been drawn up and are being pursued.

They include Radamel Falcao, Robert Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani but all three appear to be heading elsewhere at present.

Lewandowski, who is set to play for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich on Saturday, has just one year left on his contract. But his side are determined to keep him for another season, even if it means they miss out on a £25million transfer fee.

Coach Jurgen Klopp said: “There is no topic of Lewandowski’s transfer right now. The rest of the team and I talk and think only about the final.

“My conclusion is that Robert is not leaving and he will play here for the next season and I will be able to use him. That is why I don’t want to even think about to which club he may fit better.”

Even if Dortmund officials have a change of heart, it is understood the Poland international has told the club he wants to join Bayern Munich rather than Chelsea.

The Blues had hoped to capitalise on Dortmund’s anger with Bayern over the transfer of Mario Gotze to agree a deal for Lewandowski. Dortmund were furious with the rivals over the way they signed Gotze just before the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

Yet Lewandowski, who scored four goals against Mourinho’s Madrid, has set his sights on moving to Bayern whether it be this summer or next.

Atletico Madrid star Falcao has been on Chelsea’s wishlist for some time but speculation continues that he will be bought by Monaco in view of then switching to Real Madrid next year.

It would be the only way for Real to sign the Colombia international because Atletico are determined not to sell him to their fierce rivals. Real are also threatening to beat Chelsea to another of their summer targets, as they are believed to have begun negotiations with Malaga over highly-rated midfielder Isco.

Meanwhile, Napoli said earlier this week they are in talks with Manchester City over a swap deal which will see Edinson Cavani transferred to the Etihad and Edin Dzeko go the other way.

As things stand, it leaves Chelsea with few options, which is why they have begun looking at Bayern’s Mario Gomez as an alternative.

Chelsea see signing a top striker as key to launching a title challenge next term because while the much-maligned Fernando Torres scored 22 goals this term, just eight came in the Premier League. Their January signing Demba Ba managed just two goals in 14 League appearances following his £7.5m switch from Newcastle.

Should the club fail to improve their options up front, it would increase the chances of Romelu Lukaku, who scored 17 goals on loan at West Brom, being part of the first-team squad.

Meanwhile, Juan Mata insists he does not need a rest. The Spaniard played more games than any other Chelsea player during their marathon 69-game season and is currently on the club’s post-season tour to America before competing for Spain in the Confederations Cup.

He said: “In the summer we will have a rest but now we are still focused on playing football. If I’m in the national squad I will get a rest in July.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea-set-to-miss-out-on-edinson-cavani-robert-lewandowski-and-falcao-8629000.html

[DanishBlue 426]

Yeah, that sucks. We can't battle it out with City and Bayern, so our only chance is to get involved in the Falcao transfer saga and bid the same amount as Monaco. Otherwise we could always recall Lukaku, but then we won't win the PL next season.

[bababoom 4,478]

Vermaelen could leave Arsenal if an offer of 5M£ arrives

I would of said yes a few years ago, but he's been really poor.

[LondonPride1905 236]

Would be happy with him.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Defense is indeed fine for next season. JT has one solid season left in him before he starts to become a bit of a liability defensively. If we want defenders make sure they're defensive midfielders.

[Strike 6,965]

Not really, we will play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, systems that use only 1 striker!

Having Lukaku, Ba and New ST is totally unecessary and one will Always be unhappy with playing time...

Is that an excuse for not having adequate depth now? A good number of striker-options won't hurt and if Ba is unhappy, sell him and buy someone else next season

[Stingray 9,441]

Never heard of him.

Got his debut in Belgium - Standard Liege. He is fast and strong. Broke into the team when he replaced Onyewu who left for Milan.

He scored against Arsenal in the Chamions League in 2009

I find him a big, big talent tbh! Ideal for us , really.

[José Mateus 46]

Mangala is really tough. I guess he'd do better in England than in Portugal...

He still has some problems with technical players... Although he's fast, strong and can jump higher than Ronaldo!

You heard this from a Benfiquista. I guess he would fit perfectly in England

[yuvala 2,167]

What if we give BVB Lukaku + KDB on loan for Lewa + some cash ?

Would be an amazing deal for us!

First of all getting Lewa would be awesome, and then Lukaku and KDB will do brilliant there!

[Rmpr 8,977]

Is that an excuse for not having adequate depth now? A good number of striker-options won't hurt and if Ba is unhappy, sell him and buy someone else next season

That is an excuse for not having too much depth!

Ask City how their depth squad turned out...

[The Skipper 20,593]

Is that an excuse for not having adequate depth now? A good number of striker-options won't hurt and if Ba is unhappy, sell him and buy someone else next season

What if Lukaku's unhappy? Should we just sell him off as well yeah?

There has to be a balance.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

If we sign gomez and loan out lukaku :banghead:

[Strike 6,965]

That is an excuse for not having too much depth!

Ask City how their depth squad turned out...

Turning out fine for both City and United. They sold Balotelli but have Guidetti coming through. Now they will sell Dzeko and get in Cavani (?) They are constantly evolving. Options in attack are different from options in midfield or defence. Options in attack can influence games, especially games in which the team is struggling. Dzeko and Chicharito - classic examples

Our bench this season was built up with the likes of Bertrand, Ake etc. Only real backups in attack was 1 of Torres/Ba depending on who started, the other is on the bench. That is Very very thin, especially if there's an injury problem, in which case, there's no backup at all. Chelsea were very lucky this season as the strikers did not suffer any injuries but Ba has a well-documented knee problem and Torres has crocked up hamstrings. 4 strikers something like this will be ideal

New Signing - Lukaku - Ba - Torres

What if Lukaku's unhappy? Should we just sell him off as well yeah?

There has to be a balance.

Torres has no option than to stay put. Lukaku as 2nd choice and with some smart rotation, it is easily managable.