Chelsea are preparing a £16m+ bid for Bayern Munich midfielder Luis Gustavo, according to talkSPORT. The report claims the Blues are preparing to lose Nigerian international John Obi Mikel, whom the Metro has linked with clubs in Turkey and France.

Luiz Gustavo
Reuters

Gustavo had an injury-hit and inconsistent 2012/13 Bundesliga campaign, losing his place to new signing Javi Martinez. The 25-year-old made only 22 appearances in the league season, with four goals and an assist to his name.

In addition, the fact new Bayern boss Pep Guardiola has already added two new faces to the Bavarians' midfield - Mario Götze from league rivals Borussia Dortmund and Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona - could make Gustavo's stay at the Allianz Arena even more untenable.

Götze and Thiago will join Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos, Martinez and Gustavo in the fight for midfield roles for the new season. And, of those named, Ribery, Schweinsteiger and Robben are likely to start the season as first team regulars.

The situation could prove useful for Mourinho and the Stamford Bridge chiefs in persuading Gustavo to swap Munich for London. The South American has only two years left on his contract and the Champions League winners could perhaps do with an injection of cash, after spending over £50m in bringing Götze and Thiago to the club.

Meanwhile, Gustavo acknowledges he is unsure about his Bayern future. However, he remains hopeful that he will be a part of the Guardiola-era at the Allianz Arena.

"I am under contract. I want to stay but let's see what happens. I will present myself to the new manager on July 18 and let's see what his decision will be. This title doesn't make me feel that I am certain to play," he explained.

"It's always good to be valued, to see your job is being done well. Everyone who works feels happy to be valued. Now, let's see what will happen. I want to see out my contract. Our team is very good and I feel well in Munich, but let's see," the Brazilian concluded.

London