Chelsea Transfer News: De Rossi, Lukaku and a Barcelona Midfielder in Today's Press
Chelsea look to have beaten Arsenal to the signature of 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu.
Romeu, who can also play in defence, is likely to cost the club £5m. The Spaniard is one of two Barcelona players coveted by manager Andre Villas-Boas - the other being Thiago Alcantara.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Villas-Boas also admitted that Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku was a target, but moved to quell speculation linking the Belgium striker with a move to Stamford Bridge.
"Lukaku had a magnificent season in Belgium," he said.
"We are pondering every decision because we don't want to go into the market and make mistakes.
"We have plenty of availability in terms of forwards who can play in different positions - with [Nicholas] Anelka, with [Salomon] Kalou, Didier [Drogba], Torres and [Daniel] Sturridge.
"On that decision, to bring in another forward, at the moment I don't think we will."
While it is still very early days for the new Chelsea manager he has already had to fend off questions about Fernando Torres's lack of form, after an indifferent start to the club's pre-season tour by the Spain international.
The sight of Torres struggling in the humidity as the tourists laboured to a 1-0 victory against a Malaysian XI was an all too familiar sight for Chelsea fans. The former Liverpool striker cut a familiar sight to the player who managed just one goal in 18 games for Chelsea last season.
The striker started brightly and was denied in the opening minutes by Mohd Farizal Marlias, but his performance faded before the entire team was substituted at half-time. Although it's a dangerous practice to read too much into the travails of a player's pre-season form, the striker cut a frustrated figure in the 4-3-3 formation that Villas-Boas has carried over from Carlo Ancelotti's reign.
But the Portuguese moved to calm anxious supporters and warned that "an obsession" with the Spaniard's form could be detrimental to reviving the 27-year-old's lost spark.
"I wouldn't want to turn it into an obsession like people are trying to," he told reporters.
"My obsession is to win trophies with this team and take them to success. I disagree [that Torres is lacking confidence]. Every time a player doesn't score, people ask questions about him.
"I know he is a £50m striker but people's focus is purely on the individual and not the performance of the team. You know the importance the collective has for me. I'm not going to lose time over this. Things will happen naturally."
Meanwhile, Chelsea are prepared to increase their bid for Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric to £35m in a last attempt to sign the Croatian playmaker, reports suggest.
The west London outfit have already had two bids of £22m and £27m rejected by Tottenham but the club are quietly confident that a third, £35m offer will be enough to clinch Modric's signature.
Finally, Chelsea have been alerted to the availability of Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, after the Italian stalled on contract negotiations with the Serie A side.
The 27-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at the Stadio Olimpico and could be allowed to leave for less than £15m this summer, reports suggest.
But new Roma manager Luis Enrique is determined to keep hold of De Rossi who is viewed as a key figure at the club.
"He is very important for my plans and it would be impossible to find a replacement for him in the current market," he told The Mirror.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.
