Despite the fact that Jose Mourinho confirmed midway through July that his transfer business for this summer was completed, Chelsea have still be linked with a variety of players over the last few weeks.
One of the positions that has been most discussed in the media is that of centre half. Most recently, reports have suggested that Mourinho was showing interest in young French defender Raphael Varane. The Independent claimed that the club was prepared to offer Petr Cech to Real Madrid in order to secure the services of the 21-year-old.
Although Varane is Mourinho’s priority transfer target, having coached the player at Real Madrid during his time there as manager, it appears the Spanish club are unwilling to sell a player with such potential.
The latest target to be linked to the London club is Roma defender Mehdi Benatia. The London Evening Standard reports that Italian papers suggest that Chelsea could be preparing to make a €37.6m million bid for the centre back.
Chelsea are being linked with a £30million (€37.6m) move for Roma defender Mehdi Benatia as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his defence before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.
Benatia is a highly experienced defender who has previously played for sides such as Marseille, Lorient and Clermont. He also has 31 international caps for Morocco.
The high transfer fee comes as Roma do not want to sell a player who only joined last season from fellow Italian side Udinese. This should not pose too much of a concern to Chelsea though as they have so far been very careful with their finances, bringing in more money than they have spent.
The Blues should not face any serious problems in defence this season. They have John Terry and Gary Cahill as first choice central defenders along with youngster Kurt Zouma, while Branislav Ivanovic can also play in that position.
However, with John Terry approaching his 34th birthday it seems that Jose Mourinho may be preparing for a future without the club captain. This makes sense considering that Kurt Zouma has no Premier League experience and is still very young, making the position something of a priority for future investment.
Let’s see the lad in action. Chelsea fans: a necessary addition?
