Speculation surrounding Chelsea‘s potential transfer move for West Ham United‘s Enner Valencia continues to increase, with the latest reports indicating the Blues are monitoring the Ecuador international’s situation ahead of a summer bid.

The Daily Star‘s Jonathan Green believes the 25-year-old’s contract contains a £20 million buyout clause:

The Ecuadorian was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge towards the end of the January transfer window but no move materialised.

But reports in Spain claim Blues boss Jose Mourinho is still monitoring the 25-year-old’s progress as he looks to strengthen his forward line this summer.

[…]It was reported earlier this month that Valencia has a £20m buy-out clause in his contract which the Blues could look to activate this summer.

Valencia is not the only striker Chelsea have been watching, with Inter’s Mauro Icardi, Palermo‘s Paulo Dybala and Bournemouth‘s Callum Wilson possible alternatives.

The report has to be taken with a grain of salt—Spanish reports of an English team expressing an interest in a player plying his trade for another English team always do—but the link isn’t new and has been reported in the British press before, via the Metro (h/t Daily Mirror‘s Aaron Flanagan).

The striker hasn’t been particularly productive during the 2014-15 season, with just three Premier League goals so far, per WhoScored.com. But the Ecuadorian does all the little things well playing up front, and he has been pivotal in the Hammers’ excellent campaign.

According to MailSport (h/t West Ham Central), West Ham are already eyeing a potential replacement, someone fans of the Blues are quite familiar with:

While it would make sense for Jose Mourinho to prioritise the striker position during the summer transfer window, given the advanced age of Didier Drogba and Loic Remy’s early struggles at Stamford Bridge, Valencia’s proposed transfer seems unlikely at this point in time.

A £20 million buyout clause is a stupendous amount of money for a limited forward who doesn’t score with regularity, and if West Ham are serious about replacing him with Romelu Lukaku—which comes across as even more unlikely—they wouldn’t budge on that price tag too much.

Green mentioned the link with Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi, and while the Argentinian seems destined to stay at the San Siro, he would be the type of target who fits the profile of a club like Chelsea more than Valencia, who seems to be in the perfect situation in east London.

Another option is Brazilian wunderkind Robert Kenedy, but according to the Daily Express’ David Wright, Manchester United are positioning themselves to strike first. The Blues have an advantage, however:

However, the Red Devils could miss out on Kenedy, with the 19-year-old previously revealing his desire to play for Chelsea.

The youngster appreciates compatriots Oscar and Ramires at the club, with Filipe Luis, Willian and Diego Costa joining since.

“Of course I am happy to play for Fluminense but it is my ambition to one day play in Europe”, he said. “I like Chelsea because of players like Oscar and Ramires. I like the whole team.”

The Fluminense man is already being called “the next Neymar,” although all he shares with the Barcelona forward is his nationality and the fact he plays as a wide man. In terms of style and build, he reminds more of Hulk. Selecao Brasileira also doesn’t understand the comparisons to Neymar:

Kenedy is a bright talent, combining excellent athleticism with solid technique and a very powerful left foot. He’s raw and inconsistent, and he was disappointing during the 2015 South American Youth Football Championship, where he managed just one goal.

The teenager still has lots of developing to do, and a move across the pond would be ill-advised at this point. He’s a regular starter at Fluminense, and it will greatly aid his development if he stays in his native Brazil for another season or two.

Chelsea like to deal for young starlets and stash them out on loan for a couple of years, but usually, those players don’t return to the club and have a real impact. Delaying a move for Kenedy seems like the wiser option.

 

Follow @ReverschPass

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1CIGKau
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J