Chelsea are stepping up their interest in Brazilian left back Filipe Luis. As they look for a long-term replacement for Ashley Cole, the club have made an £15 million bid for the player, reports ESPN.
Following the departure of Ashley Cole to Roma, Chelsea are chasing a replacement. Luis has been high on manager Jose Mourinho’s list of possible candidates, though Marcus Rojo and Alberto Moreno have also been considered, according to the report.
The Blues had an earlier bid of £12 million rejected but now hope that the improved offer will persuade Spanish side Atletico Madrid to part with their experienced defender.
For their part, Atletico are holding out to receive the full buy-out clause in Luis’s contract. This stands at £19 million according to ESPN and the Spanish club are apparently unwilling to let him leave for less.
Diego Simeone’s side was incredibly successful last year, winning La Liga and reaching The Champions League final, and the board are not considering letting key players leave without significant compensation – especially considering that they have already lost the likes of Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois.
The 28 year old Brazilian has been at Atletico Madrid since 2010. He joined from Deportivo La Coruna, where he spent two years, and has gone on to be a key member of the squad. In his four years at the Spanish side he has gone on to make over 120 appearances in all competitions.
He also has four senior caps for Brazil and, although he was not involved in the squad for the 2014 World Cup, he was put on the standby list. Nathan Gibson
Let’s see him in action. Chelsea fans: as good as Cole?
Basharat ibrahim
Jul 10, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Chelseafc should speed up their signings before it’s too late.we can’t wait mourinho