Chelsea alerted to availability of Portugal playmaker
Published:As Porto claimed back-to-back league titles, Joao Moutinho was a key component once again, and the midfielder is interesting Chelsea after admitting he would consider a Premier League move.
A Stamford Bridge move for Moutinho was strongly speculated last year, as Andre Villas-Boas wished for a reunion with the skilful playmaker.
However, such a switch never materialised, with Chelsea instead focusing much of their energy into efforts to sign Luka Modric from Tottenham.
Whilst Modric remains an admirable figure amongst Blues staff, it is thought that Moutinho, who is in a similar mould to the Croatian, is a more realistic transfer target.
The 25-year-old is an appealing age to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who is keen for his manager to implement a system involving many more younger players.
Moutinho’s slick passing ability will also be attractive to the owner, who wants his Champions League-chasing outfit to “play like Barcelona.”
The fact that Chelsea don’t currently have a permanent manager is little obstacle to recruiting players, as proved by Marko Marin’s pre-contract arrangement, and Moutinho could come next under the supervision of Abramovich.
In his short tenure in charge, Roberto Di Matteo has relied heavily upon the ‘old guard’ at Chelsea, though adding younger players such as Moutinho will be in his remit should he land the job permanently, as he is now favourite to do.
Portuguese international Moutinho himself would appear very open to a move meanwhile, despite being happy with recent success in his native country.
” Every player wants to experiment with different leagues. Right now I’m happy because I am playing in one of the biggest in Europe. But if a good opportunity arose we’d have to see,” he told TalkSport.
“The Premier League? I can only say it’s one of the best leagues in the world – but I have not spoken with any club,” continued the midfielder, who is rated at £25million.
