Chelsea Odds On To Beat Manchester Utd To Signing Of Powerhouse

Real Madrid were thought to be interested in the player who could be a ready replacement for the departing German midfielder Sami Khedira while Manchester United were said to have made contact with the player’s agent in the summer but it appears Chelsea also have strong interest in the player and could push the Spanish and English giants all the way for the signature of the 21-year-old, who is already seen as one of the best defensive midfielders in his age.

Silva broke into the Cruzeiro first team and made his debut for the club in 2012. The Brazil Under-20 international has gone ahead to become a prominent member of the Serie A- winning side of 2013. He has also been outstanding this season with Cruzeiro looking to retain their title.

Mourinho has spoken of his intention to build a team that could rule the Premier league and the world for the next decade and may have identified the Brazil youngster as part of the plan.

Chelsea already have quite a number of holding midfielders in Nemanja Matic, John Obi, Ramires, Marco Van Ginkel (on loan at AC Milan) and Oriol Romeu (on loan at VFB Stuttgart)

The recent interest in another holding Midfielder could mean that Mourinho does not value some of the players he has in that position. Some of them will have to be sold or let go if the club were to bring in Lucas Silva.

Matic has been the preferred choice for Mourinho in the holding role while Mikel and Ramires have played mostly a substitute role. It is clear both players are behind Matic in the pecking order and could be the ones to get the chop if Chelsea moves for Lucas.

Ramires has been linked away from Stamford Bridge this season with Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid being the rumoured destination. Carlo Ancelotti was the man who brought Ramires to Chelsea from Benfica during his time at the club and he is thought to still value the player hence, could move for him.

John Obi Mikel on the other hand is among the longest serving players at the club behind John Terry and Petr Cech. He has been at the club since his protracted move in 2005. Has played under different manager and has seemed to play his way into each of the teams under the various managers. There were speculations linking him away from the club to Inter Milan of Italy and Galatasaray of Turkey in the summer but nothing concrete came out of it.

It will be hard to imagine which of these players the club will be doing away with if Lucas eventually makes a move to Stamford Bridge as both players still have enough to offer the club.

Romeu and Van Ginkel have not really made their mark since moving to the club no thanks to bouts of injuries that have plagued both players thus hindering their development. Their loan will do them a great good as they will get regular football opportunities but its still very difficult to imagine their future at the club.

Chelsea have also held interest in Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira whose contract with the Los Blancos ends in May but the recent interest in Lucas could mean Chelsea is no longer keen in pursuing the 27-year old German world cup winner.

Cruzeiro could do a deal with Chelsea as early as January with the option of taking the player back on loan till the near future as Chelsea still have enough cover in his position. His signing however will bode well with the club’s new policy of signing best young talents around the globe. Chelsea already have contingent of Brazilians at the club who could help influence his move to the West London side.