Even without the Champions League left to play for and the Premier League title looking a little bit too hard to reach, Chelsea are planning to make a serious investment in January. Demba Ba from Newcastle is the biggest name, but he’s not alone on the shortlist of newcomers. Taison of Metalist and Paulinho from Corinthians are top transfer targets as well.
Demba Ba seems to be the biggest issue for Chelsea at the moment. There’s never too much quality to pick up in January, especially for the clubs in the caliber Chelsea are. They’re not in the Champions League, so that’s not a restriction. They also don’t care that much about the Europa League, so that’s not a restriction as well. Demba Ba of Newcastle, with his oh so lucrative release clause, is too good to ignore.
The Senegalese striker can be purchased for £7.5 million, but over the past 24 hours it seems Chelsea, meeting with the player, are on the verge of agreeing his personal terms. The problem are his agents and other related people, who want a few more millions thrown into their own pockets to “convince” him to sign the deal.
Since arriving in the Premier League, Ba has scored 36 goals in 66 matches, including 13 goals this season alone. Newcastle gave more weight to signing Alan Pardew for eight more years than opening up Ba’s contract and erasing that easy-to-match release clause.
But strikers, as much as they are needed in Stamford Bridge, aren’t the only thing Chelsea are looking for. Taison from Metalist, a forward who can play multiple positions in the frontline, has been a transfer target for several weeks. The man with one of the nicest goals in Europe this season isn’t a prolific goalscorer, with 18 goals in 69 matches in Ukraine, but the 24 year old Brazilian has been very impressive this season for his club in his dribbling and ability to create for others, while switching positions throughout the match.
Another Brazilian who has been on Chelsea’s radar for quite some time is Paulinho from Corinthians. The defensive midfielder played against Chelsea in the Club World Cup Final and is needed in order to fill the shoes of the departing John Obi Mikel as he goes off to the African Cup of Nations very soon.
However, Paulinho has said numerous times that he isn’t planning on leaving the team in the near future, and the club’s chiefs are saying the same things. Corinthians are one of the richest teams in Brazil at the moment, and can afford to keep Paulinho, even if a European team comes knocking.