Chelsea Close In On First Summer Signing As Vitesse Accept Offer For Dutch Starlet
Jose Mourinho could be close to making his first signing upon his return to Chelsea after Vitesse Arnhem accepted a €8.5m bid for Marco van Ginkel, reports suggest.
Chelsea officially unveiled Jose Mourinho as new Chelsea manager for the second time on Monday afternoon, and the former Real Madrid manager was quick to outline some of his summer plans, suggesting he will keep hold of young Belgian duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne.
But 'The Special One' also revealed he intended to add to his squad this summer, and an early arrival could be the man who was named Dutch Talent of the Year last season in van Ginkel.
Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf report that the club has accepted a bid from Chelsea, although the 20-year-old is yet to agree personal terms with the Premier League giants.
Vitesse's willingness to accept an offer from the Blues would appear to have been boosted by their determination to not see their prized asset move to Eredivisie champions Ajax. De Telegraaf also suggest the club are also remain hopeful of arranging a deal that will see van Ginkel return to them for a season long loan next season.
Van Ginkel is currently away at the under-21 European Championships in Israel, where he has shone as the Dutch dismissed both Germany and Russia in the group stages of the tournament.
When the subject of Chelsea's interest in his services came up, the midfielder admitted he was pleased to be linked with the club, although refused to let such talk distract him from the matter at hand.
"I am not thinking about it [Chelsea's interest] right now, but I am really flattered by their interest," van Ginkel was quoted as saying in the Evening Standard.
Chelsea's hopes of securing a deal for the promising 20-year-old are likely to be boosted by the extremely healthy relationship the club hold with Vitesse.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich shares a friendship with his Vitesse counterpart Merab Jordania, a relationship which has seen Chelsea youngsters Patrick Van Aanholt and Gael Kakuta move to the Dutch club on loan in the past.
The Blues are even to be kept in the loop as Vitesse continue their search for a new manager, following the dismissal of Fred Rutten.
The Blues also remain poised to sign Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle, who the club have been in talks with since the end of last season.
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