Chelsea Transfer News: Cavani, Bale, Hulk And Schurrle Linked To The Blues

Chelsea are poised to finally complete a deal for Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle, with Kevin de Bruyne now thought to have agreed to move in the other direction on a season-long loan. A deal between the clubs was thought to have been struck several weeks ago, but was held up when young Belgian De Bruyne lined up a permanent move to Borussia Dortmund.

It now appears that De Bruyne, who has spent this season on loan with Werder Bremen has relented. "We are in agreement with Chelsea,” Leverkusen general manager Wolfgang Holzhauser told Rheinische Post. “They buy [Andre] Schurrle for a certain transfer fee and in return [Kevin] de Bruyne is sent on a one-year loan. I assume that Chelsea stand by what has been agreed upon."

Chelsea have trailed Schurrle for the past 12 months and had an offer rejected last summer. But the 22-year-old could now finalize a reported £20 million deal after he returns from the United States where he is playing two friendlies with Germany. Schurrle can play as a central striker but has mainly been used for both club and country as a left-sided attacker.

The new Chelsea manager -- widely expected to be Jose Mourinho -- will doubtless also be seeking a top class center forward to bolster the squad. With Radamel Falcao’s transfer to Monaco all-but done, the Blues may have turned their attentions to Edinson Cavani. Indeed, Sky Italia reports that Mourinho is eager to secure the Napoli front man, with Chelsea prepared to offer £30 million plus Fernando Torres.

The deal makes logical sense with Torres, despite scoring 22 goals this season, likely to be surplus to requirements if a new striker arrives. A move to Napoli would also mean the Spaniard reuniting with Rafael Benitez with whom he worked at both Stamford Bridge and Liverpool. Yet, Napoli could well struggle to meet Torres’ wages and part-exchange deals rarely come to fruition because of all the possible complications involved.

Chelsea have also been thrown into speculation about the future of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale. After a sensational season, the Welsh forward is being tracked strongly by Real Madrid. But the Daily Mirror claims that Chelsea, along with Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to pay £80 million to land the 23-year-old.

A move to Stamford Bridge would be a major surprise. Tottenham are determined to hang onto Bale and would be even more reluctant to allow the player to leave to a Premier League, never mind London, rival. Bale is also thought to prefer a move to Madrid.

There may be a possibility of Chelsea boosting their attacking options by reigniting their interest in Brazil international Hulk. The Blues trailed the pacey forward for much of last summer before he agreed a big-money move to Zenit St Petersburg. Things have not been smooth sailing for the 26-year-old in Russia, however, and there are reports that he could already be set for a move. Linked with a transfer to big-spending Monaco, the former Porto man’s agent has claimed that the player still has admirers in England.

“Two big clubs in the Premier League have enquired about Hulk," Teodoro Fonseca said, according to O Jogo. One of those teams is thought to be Tottenham, but the other may well be Chelsea.

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