Cesc Fabregas joins Chelsea in a €33.5 million deal

Cesc Fabregas has joined Chelsea where he will be expected to become a cornerstone of Jose Mourinho’s reconstructed team next season.

The Spain midfielder, currently with his national side in Brazil, returns to the Premier League after Barcelona accepted an initial € 33.5 million offer from Stamford Bridge with €3.0 million in add-ons based on appearances.

Arsenal declined to exercise an option to buy back the former captain they sold to Barcelona three years ago but are due a sell-on fee which may end up being around €3 million.

Mourinho has moved quickly to fill the impending void left by Frank Lampard’s departure from Chelsea by giving the 27-year-old a five-year deal. Both men trust the transfer can help ensure there is no repeat of last season’s trophy-less campaign in west London.

By the end of his contract Fabregas intends to have completed “unfinished business” in the Premier League and will presumably hope to leave Arsène Wenger believing he made a big mistake in not welcoming him back to the Emirates.

Unfinished business

“I do feel I have unfinished business in the Premier League and now is the right time for me to return,” said Fabregas who spent eight years at Arsenal after coming through Barcelona’s youth system.

He hankered for a return to Spain but, despite collecting four winners’ medals in his first season and celebrating the first league title of his career the following year, things did not proceed as planned.

Although he scored 35 goals in 129 appearances, Fabregas struggled to hold down a regular place at a club in which Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets were regarded as the preferred central midfield combination. He was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United last summer.

Twelve months on, Wenger did not jump to re-engage him.

“Yes, everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me,” said Fabregas. “They decided not to take this option and therefore it wasn’t meant to be. I wish them well in the future.

“I considered all the other offers very carefully and I firmly believe that Chelsea is the best choice. They match my footballing ambitions with their hunger and desire to win trophies. They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible manager.”

Fabregas is likely to be joined at Chelsea by Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.

Article taken from: http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/cesc-fabregas-joins-chelsea-in-a-33-5-million-deal-1.1830442

Jose Mourinho refuses to sell Petr Cech to Arsenal

Jose Mourinho has told Chelsea officials to make sure Petr Cech is not sold to Arsenal should he be forced to sell the goalkeeper,reports Spanish newspaper AS.

The Chelsea manager is currently in the process of trying to convince Thibaut Courtois to return to the club and compete with Cech for the number one spot. Courtois has spent three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid and isn't willing to return unless first team football is guaranteed.

It may, therefore, become impossible for Mourinho to bring back Courtois and also keep Cech at the club, meaning he may have to sell the 31-year-old after 10-years as Chelsea's first choice 'keeper.

Currently boasting a basic wage of £100,000-a-week, there are few clubs who would be able to afford signing Cech, and one of the only big clubs currently looking for a new goalkeeper are Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal.

The Gunners find themselves with just one recognised goalkeeper in their squad following the departure of Lukasz Fabianski and Emiliano Viviano. Although Wojciech Szczesny is thought of highly, Arsene Wenger is keen to provide Szczesny with some quality competition in an attempt to inspire the Pole to improve.

Cech would be perfect for such a role and Arsenal would be able to afford his wages as well as Chelsea's asking price should he become available. Wenger has been given £100m to spend of transfers and wages, making Cech's £100,000-a-week wage easy to absorb.

However, in a similar situation to that of Demba Ba, Mourinho will refuse to see one of Chelsea's players for a direct Premier League rival and has vetoed any suggestion of selling the Czech Republic international to the Gunners.

Mourinho cancelled a deal that would have seen Ba join Arsenal on loan at the last minute on transfer deadline day in September 2013 but Mourinho won't even consider talking to Arsenal regarding Cech.

It remains to be seen whether or not Cech will have any other takers apart from the Gunners. It may be possible that Mourinho's reluctance to sell Cech to Arsenal will cause Courtois to spend another season away from Stamford Bridge in La Liga as Cech being in the squad seems to be the only thing standing between Courtois and his Chelsea debut.

Article taken from: http://www.givemesport.com/473198-jose-mourinho-refuses-to-sell-petr-cech-to-arsenal?autoplay=on

Chelsea to give Eden Hazard huge new contract

Chelsea are ready to hand Eden Hazard a huge new contract in order to ward off interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Belgian had a superb 2013/14 Premier League campaign, but has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after seemingly falling out with manager Jose Mourinho.

Reports in France this week have suggested that Paris Saint-Germain are about launch a huge €75 million offer for the Chelsea star, having already met with his representatives back in March.

However it seems as though Chelsea are alert to the possible interest in their player of the season and are about to move in order to tie him down to a new long-term contract.

According to Belgian source Sud-Info, the Blues are going to hand him a massive improvement on the €11.5 million he already earns - although an exact figure of the new deal isn't mentioned.

The clearest indication that the 23-year-old will stay with Chelsea came yesterday when it was confirmed yesterday that he would be wearing the number 10 shirt next season, making the switch from the number 17 shirt he wore last time round.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are set to announce a deal for striker Diego Costa, while Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis could be on their way to Stamford Bridge as well.

Article taken from: http://www.givemesport.com/472773-chelsea-to-give-eden-hazard-huge-new-contract

Mark Schwarzer confirms he'll stay at Chelsea

Chelsea's back-up keeper, Mark Schwarzer, has confirmed that Jose Mourinho wants him to stay on at Stamford Bridge for another season, despite his name appearing on the club's released list.

The Australian signed for Chelsea on a one year deal last season after his contract ended with local rivals Fulham, but now looks set to stay on for another year.

The 41-year-old has confirmed: “I've had messages from the boss, he's very keen for me to re-sign with the club.”

“That's all I really need to know, that he wants to keep me at the club and I'll leave the rest up to the powers-that-be to sort it all out,”

“I'm confident it'll be sorted out in the next week or two.”

Despite only playing a handful of games for the Blues last season, the experienced keeper is keen to stay on at a top level club for as long as he can, due to the incomparable experiences that it provides.

He said “I still want to stay in Europe as long as possible. If I have the chance to stay at a club like Chelsea, I'd love to do so because it's an unbelievable experience.”

“I had opportunities to play in the Champions League semi-final and vie for the title – and that's something invaluable and something I hadn't experienced before.”

The news all but confirms that both the reigning Petr Cech and youngster Thibaut Courtois will not both stay at Stamford Bridge next term, with Cech likely to be sold or Courtois loaned out for another season.

Article taken from: http://www.givemesport.com/472849-mark-schwarzer-confirms-hell-stay-at-chelsea

Chelsea want Mario Mandzukic to partner Diego Costa

Chelsea are on the verge of sealing the signing of Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid - and will now move to target Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic to partner the Brazilian, according to the Daily Mail.

Costa is expected to arrive at Stamford Bridge for a fee believed to be in the region of £32 million, and will provide Jose Mourinho with some much-needed options in attack after his strike trio of Demba Ba, Samuel Eto'o and Fernando Torres failed to fire last season.

He has reportedly been handed a £150,000-per-year contract, and he is believed to have completed his medical ahead of his announcement as a Chelsea player shortly. 

However Mourinho isn't expected to end his pursuit of a striker there, and will now push to sign Mandzukic from Bayern Munich. The Croatian is believed to be surplus to requirements at the Allianz Arena, and has also been linked with a switch to Arsenal.

Along with a move for Mandzukic, Mourinho also wants to wrap up deals for Atletico Madrid pair Filipe Luis and Tiago, who played under the Special One at Chelsea back in 2004.

Along with a host of new faces at Stamford Bridge there could be one, more familiar, arrival, with Thibaut Courtois returning from his three season loan spell at Atletico Madrid.

Cesc Fabregas would prefer Chelsea move over Manchester United

Cesc Fabregas would prefer to join Chelsea over Manchester United in a choice between the two clubs, reports suggest.

Such a claim is made by Spanish publication Marca, who cite both personal and professional reasons for this - including the fact that the Red Devils will not partake in the Champions League next season after a dismal spell under the management of David Moyes.

The newspaper also points to Frank Lampard's exit from Chelsea, which would seemingly afford Fabregas the opportunity to secure regular first-team football in West London - something he is far from guaranteed during a period of notable transition with current club Barcelona.

Whether Barcelona would be content to sell him to Chelsea remains to be seen, however, as does the stance of Blues boss Jose Mourinho on the possibility of such an arrival given that the relationship between the Portuguese and Fabregas has always appeared somewhat fractious in the past.

Reports earlier this week claimed that Fabregas - who is rated by Barcelona at around the £29.2 million mark - may already have had a medical at Chelsea which, if proved correct, would come as a crushing blow to the other English teams who have been frequently credited with a strong interest in pursuing the Spain international.

The seemingly never-ending avalanche of speculation concerning Fabregas' future is coming at potentially the most unsettling time, with the 27-year-old - whose previous experience of the Premier League came in a successful eight-year stint with Arsenal between 2003-11 - currently preparing for Spain's upcoming World Cup title defence in Brazil.

It is something that Fabregas should be able to cope with by now, however, with the player having become the subject of a similar saga last summer, when then Manchester United boss David Moyes was believed to be chasing his signature. 

Manchester United's interest in Fabregas does not seem to have waned since former Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal was announced as Moyes' successor, but it still appears as if the club's chances of finally landing him are slim in the face of rather stiff competition.´

Article taken from: http://www.givemesport.com/472376-cesc-fabregas-would-prefer-chelsea-move-over-manchester-united

Chelsea in hunt for Mexican wonderkid

According to the club's vice-president, Andres Fassi, the Blues are keen to recruit the 21-year-old and could look to kick-off negotiations in the coming days.

He told Medio Tiempo: "Yes, there is interest but we have to see how much they are interested.

"In principle we have a sporting plan for Jurgen and we hope he stays, but if something comes up from abroad, we have to take it into account and if it's serious, we have to respond, we will have news in the next 48 hours."

The young winger holds Mexican/German dual nationality, leaving Chelsea open to bid for Damm without the worries of securing a work permit.

"Chelsea are the club interested, but we have to see how much they are interested, we can't go ahead of ourselves, we have to wait and see," the vice-president added

"When it comes to us, it's a matter of sporting project. We want him to stay and we will see how much Chelsea are interested.

"There is a belief they arrive in Mexico on Thursday to talk with us."

Article taken from: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/382377/REVEALED-Chelsea-in-hunt-for-Mexican-wonderkid