Chelsea planning summer swoop for Real Madrid superstars
Published:Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is expected to fund an overhaul of his ageing squad this summer, and he is now believed to be hopeful of sanctioning an £80million double swoop for Real Madrid pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain.
The Londoners’ improvement under Roberto Di Matteo has been noticeable, but no matter who is in the hotseat come the end of the season, they will need to address the squad’s attacking options, with Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda all looking likely to move on.
With this in mind, Chelsea have identified Ronaldo and Higuain as the ideal candidates to inject a fresh vibrancy to their frontline, whilst a £58million raid for Napoli pair Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi is thought to be their second preference.
Much could depend on Chelsea’s success in attempting to achieve Champions League qualification too, and after claiming only a point at home to fourth-placed Tottenham on Saturday, winning the competition this year could be their best chance of claiming entry into next year’s tournament.
They are 10/1 to do so, whilst you can get 3/1 about them making up the six points on Spurs to achieve a top four finish.
Whilst the link to Ronaldo may surprise many, a switch for the 27-year-old does not seem as far-fetched when looking deeper into his tenure in Spain.
After his world record £80million move from Manchester United three years ago, the powerful forward has had somewhat of a strained relationship with Real fans, despite racking up an incredible 101 goals in just 92 La Liga matches.
His value remains at a high, but as Higuain could be available for a cut-price £16million after descending down the Bernabeu pecking order, and a total fee of £80million for both players is one that Abramovich would be willing to pay.
