Chelsea have been handed a boost in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle, after the player claimed the Bundesliga game against SV Hamburg would be his last for the club.

The Blues have been strongly linked with a move for the German international and his comments after the 1-0 win suggest the 22-year-old expects a summer transfer.

"I think it was my last match. We'll see. Certain things were promised to me. I hope they will keep these promises. It also depends on Leverkusen," Schurrle said.

Andre Schurrle
Reuters

The youngster has had a good season with the club, scoring 11 goals and creating seven more from 34 league starts. He is believed to be keen on a switch to west London, according to his agent, Ingo Reel.

Schurrle's caution about joining the Premier League club may be the result of stalled talks between Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and Leverkusen.

The Mail believes a move for Schurrle is conditional on 21-year-old De Bruyne moving to Leverkusen on a season's loan. However, Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund have offered the Belgian a five-year contract, which has thrown a spanner in the works.

Torres, Ba and Schurrle

At present, the Blues have Senegalese Demba Ba and Spain's Fernando Torres as strikers, with Brazilian Oscar, Juan Mata of Valencia and Real Madrid and Belgium's Eden Hazard as the playmakers. The squad also has Nigerian Victor Moses and goal scoring veteran Frank Lampard, as well as Schurrle's compatriot, Marko Marin, who has struggled to establish himself.

Schurrle's arrival was expected to signal the end of Torres' troubled time at the Bridge. The former Atletico Madrid star, the Sun believes, will leave at the end of the season. The 29-year-old cost £50m and is paid £170,000 per week. In return, he has scored just 34 goals in 130 appearances.

Abramovich could have a problem on his hands, though, with Torres reportedly insistent he will stay at the club.

"I know my statistics at Chelsea have not been the same as in other years in my career. But I am fighting to get back to those statistics and I will never, ever give up," the World Cup and European Championship winner told the Mail.

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