Chelsea are reportedly eyeing Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as they look to add strength to their forward line ahead of next season.  

Following Didier Drogba’s second departure from Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2014-15 season, the Blues now have just Diego Costa and Loic Remy in the strike department.

Costa, while a fantastic player, is something of a fitness liability, rarely in top shape over a long period—hence the need for a quality new striker as the Premier League champions go in search of further glory next term.

The 33-year-old Ibrahimovic is undoubtedly a top-class striker, but his age could potentially be of some concern.

However, according to Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb (h/t Metro‘s Jamie Sanderson), Chelsea have reportedly held talks with the Swede’s representatives about a potential switch from Paris to west London.

Ibrahimovic apparently wants assurances of a long-term contract if he is to move to Stamford Bridge, but that may not be of interest to Chelsea.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has worked with Ibrahimovic before at Inter Milan, and the towering striker has previously spoken of his admiration for the Portuguese manager, per Telefoot (via Rohan Banerjee of the MailOnline).

However, the previous relationship between the pair is no guarantee that Ibrahimovic will move to Chelsea.

Indeed, his agent Mino Raiola recently insisted his client would be staying put at PSG, per French outlet Journal du Dimanche (h/t the MailOnline’s Matt Maltby): “He has a contract and cannot just decide to leave by himself. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi was asked about this and said no, PSG will not sell Ibrahimovic.”

A much more likely purchase for Chelsea over the summer is Gonzalo Higuain of Napoli, who has been heavily linked with a £30-million switch to the Premier League, per the Sun:

At 27 years old, Higuain has longer left in his career and would constitute a much better long-term buy for Chelsea than Ibrahimovic in the strike department. 

 

Luis Rejects Real but Move Still On

Chelsea left-back Filipe Luis has reportedly rejected advances from Real Madrid, but he is still open to a potential move back to former club Atletico Madrid, according to Luis Aznar of Marca.

The 29-year-old made the move to Stamford Bridge for £15.8 million from Atleti last summer, but he has been only a bit-part player in his first season with the Blues, turning out just 15 times in the Premier League, per WhoScored.com. 

His failure to settle has reportedly seen a number of top clubs come in for him, with Real making an enquiry as they look for a new left-back.

However, as Aznar reports, Luis has rejected Real, and he instructed his agent, Jorge Mendes, that he will only leave Chelsea if it is to make a return to Atletico.

As noted by football writer Jack Lang, Brazil’s Luis is a fine player and deserves a starting place at a top club:

If he is never likely to be a regular starter under Mourinho, a return to Atletico to work with Diego Simeone would surely be the perfect resolution, as he could simply slot back into the side he left a year ago. 

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