CHELSEA TRANSFER RUMOURS: Hulk, Ba, Dembele, Konoplyanka And Powell Involved In Latest Speculation

Roman Abramovich's eagerness to pour his millions into Chelsea's recruitment this summer may soon be further tested by Porto's demands over Hulk. The Mirror is reporting that the Portuguese outfit is demanding £40 million for the forward, whom Chelsea allegedly believed they could attain for a mere £30 million.

According to the Metro, Chelsea is prepared to pay the increased sum with talks set to continue later this week. The story states that the Brazilian is likely to arrive on a four-year deal worth £120,000 a week.

Following the signings of Marko Marin and Eden Hazard, if the Hulk deal goes through it would take Chelsea's summer spending to an estimated £80 million.

And the outlay is not likely to end there.

The Mirror also reports that Chelsea is one of the clubs interested in snapping up Newcastle frontman Demba Ba. The Senegalese international has a much-publicized £7 million release clause in his contract that goes into effect on May 31 and remains active for two months.

With 16 goals in the Premier League for the Magpies last season, Chelsea may see Ba as the man to boost their striking options, which have been weakened by the departure of Didier Drogba.

As well as the lure of joining the Champions League winners, Ba's exit could also be encouraged by the 27-year-old's perceived unhappiness at being replaced as the focal point up front at Newcastle following the arrival of Papiss Cisse.

According to the Sun, Chelsea may be looking even closer to home for another of their signings. A report claims that the Blues are set to make a £10 million offer for Fulham's Moussa Dembele. With the Belgian having just a year remaining on his contract at Craven Cottage, he may well be on the move after an impressive season. Manchester United and Arsenal have likewise been linked with a move for the forward-turned midfielder. But Chelsea is likely to see their priorities in other areas.

Having already secured one young attacking midfielder in Hazard, Chelsea may about to move for another, according to the Mail. The report claims that the Blues will look to make a late bid for Crewe youngster Nick Powell, who was thought to be on his way to Manchester United for between £4 million and £6 million.

The 18-year-old is seen as one of the best prospects to come through Crewe's renowned academy and is thought to be interesting several Premier League clubs. As well as scoring in the club's League Two Playoff final victory, he also recently completed a clean sweep of Crewe's end of season awards.

The attacking midfielder speculation is continued with TalkSport's story that Chelsea is also interested in Ukrainian Yevhen Konoplyanka. The Dnipro 22-year-old is in his country's squad for Euro 2012 and is also said to be attracting a keen eye from both Manchester United and Arsenal.

If Chelsea's interest is indeed genuine they would be looking to complete a deal before this summer's championships to avoid the possibility of his performances resulting in a price hike.