Alternatives the Stamford Bridge side could pursue if move for the Old Trafford star fails to materalise.
Jose Mourinho has recently said that Wayne Rooney is his only summer transfer target. However, Manchester United continue to maintain that they won’t sell the England international and there is a possibility that Mourinho will miss out on Rooney, meaning he will need to look at signing other players. Here are five players Chelsea could sign if they miss out on Wayne Rooney.
Burak Yilmaz- Galatasaray
The Turkish striker is certainly a late bloomer, having only really reached his potential last season at Galatasaray. The striker scored 32 goals for the Turkish giants last season, with team mate Didier Drogba claiming that Yilmaz was the clubs player of the year. Yilmaz also got some praise from Jose Mourinho, with the Chelsea manager calling him world class. Should Mourinho miss out on Rooney, Yilmaz would be excellent alternative. Much like Rooney, Yilmaz is a complete striker, being able to score many types of goals whilst also being versatile. He can play as the lone striker or he play off another front-man, as he has been at Galatasaray with Drogba. Yilmaz could bring this skill to Stamford Bridge, along with his exceptional goal scoring touch.
Earlier in the summer, reports suggested that Chelsea were looking into signing Yilmaz and those reports could re-surface if the club miss out on Rooney. For Yilmaz, it would be an opportunity to play in one of Europe’s big leagues and he could thrive in the Premier League, which is known as a very high scoring league. At 27, Yilmaz is at his peak so their is no better time for Chelsea to sign the striker and Yilmaz also has a very good record of scoring lots of goals in the Champions League, a competition that Jose Mourinho is determined to win now that he is back at Chelsea. The Blues may face competition for the signing of Yilmaz, with Premier League rivals Liverpool known to be monitoring the striker. However, if Chelsea do decide to go for Yilmaz, they will be able to offer the player Champions League football, something Liverpool can’t offer at the moment, meaning the Blues would have the upper hand.
Karim Benzema- Real Madrid
Benzema enjoyed an excellent relationship with Jose Mourinho during the Portuguese managers time at Real Madrid. The striker was often one of Mourinho’s first names on the team sheet at the Santiago Bernabeu and played a huge role in the success that Mourinho had while he was Real Madrid boss. However, with Mourinho leaving for Chelsea, it is unknown whether Benzema will continue to play at big role at Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti. With Madrid interested in signing Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, Benzema may find himself starting games on the bench at the Bernabeu, something the Frenchman is unlikely to be happy with during a World Cup year.
Should Madrid sign those two players, Benzema’s only option maybe to move away from the Spanish capital and Stamford Bridge could be a likely destination. Benzema has long been linked with a move to the Premier League and could be tempted into working with Mourinho again at Chelsea. The Portuguese coach may consider a move for his former player if a deal for Rooney falls through as the Frenchman shares a number of similarities with the Manchester United striker. Benzema is capable of doing the spectacular but is also strong and durable, a trait that Mourinho likes in a striker. Benzema is still fairly young so he can continue to get better and better and the striker could see a move to Chelsea as a better alternative to sitting on the bench at the Bernabeu if Real Madrid’s summer transfer plans go well.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic- Paris St Germain
Undoubtedly, Ibrahimovic is one of Europe’s most deadly strikers, with the Swede successfully scoring goals in many of the major leagues in Europe. The only league that Ibrahimovic has failed to play in is the Premier League and it is understood that the striker is interested in a move to England, if only to prove the English press wrong about just how good he is. Should Mourinho fail in his bid to sign Rooney then Ibrahimovic would be an interesting alternative. There is little doubt that the Swede would score goals in England as he possesses all the qualities needed to succeed in England. He has height and power and is also capable of scoring some spectacular goals. Signing Ibrahimovic may well make Chelsea favourites to win the Premier League title as they would have a truly world class striker that would rival Robin Van Persie at Manchester United and Sergio Aguero at Manchester City.
Reports suggest that the Swede could be on the move again this summer following a falling out with Paris St Germain’s new manager Laurent Blanc. Ibrahimovic is reportedly unhappy that the club have signed Edinson Cavani for £55 million from Napoli. The striker doesn’t want to be sitting on the bench at the Parc des Princes, watching Cavani strut his stuff. He is also worried that he will no longer be the clubs main player. This falling out could lead to Ibrahimovic being on the move once again and Chelsea is a realistic possibility. However, when signing Ibrahimovic, their is a price to pay for all of his goals. He is known to a be a difficult person to manage and will also command incredibly high wages. He reportedly earns around £8 million a year at PSG and would demand something similar if he were to move to the Blues. Chelsea may also face competition from Real Madrid for Ibrahimovic, with the Spanish clubs new manager Carlo Ancelotti thought to be keen on a reunion with the Swede. When he was at PSG, Ancelotti got the best out of the striker and could be looking to do the same at Madrid.
Edin Dzeko- Manchester City
Dzeko has scored many important goals during his time with Manchester City, like the equaliser against QPR on the final day of the 2011/2012 Premier League season. He came off the bench and scored the goal that enabled City to get back into the match and then win it, claiming the Premier League title in the process. Despite his goal scoring record, Dzeko has struggled to hold down a regular place in the Manchester City team, often finding himself on the bench behind the likes of Sergio Aguero. This is known to frustrate the striker, who could be set for even less game time this season following the clubs acquisition of Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic.
If he wants first team football, then Dzeko may have to move clubs and Chelsea are thought to be interested in signing the tall front-man. Jose Mourinho wants a strong, physical striker to lead the line of his new Chelsea team, in the mould of a Didier Drogba. There aren’t many better at doing that than Dzeko, who has been a huge physical presence in the box during his time at the Etihad. Dzeko would be quite happy to move to Stamford Bridge as he could get the first team football that he craves. He could also become one of the Premier League’s very best strikers if he is given enough game time. However, Manchester City are unlikely to let one of their players leave for a Premier League rival, especially one that will challenge them for the title. It would probably take a huge bid from Chelsea for City to even consider selling Dzeko to them. It may just depend how much Mourinho wants the striker.
Hulk- Zenit St Petersburg
Many expected Hulk to sign for a top European team last summer, when it was expected that he would leave FC Porto. However, the Brazilian surprised everyone and move to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg for £35 million. Hulk’s time in Russia hasn’t been particularly happy however and the striker now wants to leave Zenit after only one season with them. Reports suggest that the striker has failed to settle in his new country and wants to move to one of Europe’s top teams. A move to Chelsea is a real possibility, especially if the Blues do miss out on Wayne Rooney. Hulk is known to be one of the most physical forwards in world football and this physicality will certainly appeal to Jose Mourinho, who needs a striker with strength to lead the line for the Blues next season. Hulk would love the opportunity of working with Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and wants to be playing for a top club so that he can be a part of Brazil’s squad for next summers World Cup.
The striker admitted earlier in the summer that he has already held talks with Chelsea ahead of a possible move to Stamford Bridge. However, talks are thought to have stopped while the Blues chase Wayne Rooney. Chelsea will certainly consider re-starting talks with Hulk if a deal for Rooney fails to materialise but the striker will almost certainly not come cheap. Zenit don’t want to let go of one of their best players and if they do have to sell, they will only consider bids of around £50 million. The club want to make a sizeable profit on a player that they only signed a year ago but Chelsea are unlikely to pay anywhere near that. It may come down to how much Hulk wants to leave Zenit. If he causes a fuss at the club, they may well have to sell him for a reduced price. Hulk would probably be Chelsea’s best alternative if Manchester United continue to state that they won’t sell Wayne Rooney.