Arda Turan to Chelsea makes sense as Jose Mourinho prepares to defend title - 7M sport

Arda Turan to Chelsea makes sense as Jose Mourinho prepares to defend title



Posted Thursday, July 02, 2015 by ESPN

Arda Turan to Chelsea makes sense as Jose Mourinho prepares to defend title

Barely a day passes without Chelsea being linked with a move for an Atletico Madrid player.

Given the transfer history linking them with Atleti -- Thibaut Courtois, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa all recent examples of players featuring for both teams -- it's evident that the channels of communication between the powerbrokers at both clubs are always open.

Speculation recently concerned Atleti's France international forward Antoine Griezmann who impressed mightily in his first season at the Vicente Calderon. Griezmann to Stamford Bridge in a £43 million cash-plus-player deal, with either Luis or Mohamed Salah moving the other way, was the hot rumour.

Fast forward a week and the Chelsea transfer spotlight is now beaming down on Arda Turan.

The Turkey international, an attacking midfielder, has been a key cog in the successful Atleti machine for four years and is well-known to Chelsea supporters, who will recall him being an influential part of Diego Simeone's side which thrashed Chelsea 4-1 in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup in Monaco.

Radamel Falcao scored a hat-trick in that game and Turan would no doubt relish the prospect of linking up with his former teammate in London if the former Manchester United striker finalises his mooted loan move.

Turan also scored the final goal in Atletico's 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge in the 2014 Champions League semifinal second leg. Another former teammate, Costa, also found the Blues' net that night as Jose Mourinho's men exited the competition.

Mourinho will not need Falcao or Costa telling him the added value that a player of Turan's ability could bring to his side as they launch a four-pronged attack on silverware next season.

With a potential 60-game campaign ahead, Mourinho will be keen to ensure that his midfielders are firing on all cylinders -- something that cannot be said of Colombia international Juan Cuadrado, who has flattered to deceive since arriving in January.

Turan could be a capable solution to the problem of Chelsea's over-reliance on Player of the Year Eden Hazard to take the game to opponents and create chances as well as score goals.

With Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United both reported to be interested in securing the services of Turan, Chelsea may need to move swiftly if they want to secure his services.

Rated at £29 million, which would make a significant profit on the £8.5 million Atleti paid for him in August 2011, Turan's arrival would certainly hasten the need to offload misfit Cuadrado, who could be used as part of the deal.

When it comes to transfer bargaining with the Madrid club, Chelsea left-back Luis' name is once again being thrown into the melting pot.

Despite paying Atletico £15.8 million for Luis a year ago, Mourinho has continued to favour Cesar Azpilicueta on the left side of defence and a move back to the Vicente Calderon would make sense, though Los Rojiblancos manager Simeone would not value the player who will turn 30 next month anywhere near the figure he sold him for.

At Stamford Bridge, Turan would command a weekly salary of £150,000 and in return Chelsea will get a combative player who is capable of coping with the rigours of English football. Scoring 22 goals and having 32 assists from 178 appearances for Atleti as well as 14 goals from 81 games for Turkey makes for impressive reading.

As ever, nothing is cut and dried -- and with La Liga juggernauts Barcelona also reported to be readying a bid despite their transfer ban, it's possible that Mourinho may not get his man.

That being the case, who will be the next Atleti player linked with a move to the Bridge? It's a question waiting to be answered but one thing's for certain -- you can bet that poor old Luis will see his name mentioned as a potential makeweight.



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