Chelsea eye Malaga striker as potential replacement for Drogba
Published:As Chelsea legend Didier Drogba ends his eight-year stint at Stamford Bridge, Roberto Di Matteo is in the market for a replacement striker, and Malaga’s Salomon Rondon is an option.
The Venezuelan forward is hot property, with Arsenal and Newcastle also interested, but those clubs are likely to be deterred by Malaga’s £20million asking price.
22-year-old Rondon has enjoyed an impressive two years in Spain, firing 25 goals in 67 La Liga appearances, and his physical attributes would seem to make him a suitable replacement for Drogba.
Chelsea scouts repeatedly watched Rondon in Venezuela’s 2-0 defeat to Chile at the weekend, and whilst the striker did little to impress in that outing, that has failed to put Di Matteo off trying to tempt him to Stamford Bridge.
Hulk remains an option too for the Blues, but the player’s happiness at Portuguese champions Porto could scupper any potential deal.
Indeed, the Brazilian’s agent Teodoro Fonseca has outlined that the Champions League winners could face a struggle to land his client, telling the Record, “The Blues (Chelsea) are not the only European club interested and at the moment it all depends on Porto.
“The club want him to stay and we have received the offer of a new deal. If Hulk stays in Porto then there is no problem as he is happy in Porto.
“He has had three years of interest from big European clubs and he still plays in Portugal.”
Amongst other targets, Edinson Cavani is drawing admiring glances from Juventus as well as Manchester City, which could prove detrimental to the Blues’ hopes of landing the forward.
Juventus in particular are desperate to snap up the Napoli powerhouse, after giving up on Carlos Tevez and Robin Van Persie, and are eager to make him a priority signing.
All these factors considered, a move for Rondon could prove the most preferable option for Chelsea, and the Venezuelan may soon be primed for a switch to London.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
