Just days after Jose Mourinho announced that he would not be returning to manage the London outfit next season, Chelsea have switched their attention towards another Spaniard and seem intent on landing a summer deal to sign Roberto Soldado.

The Valencia hitman is going through a bit of a rough patch and has failed to score in his last five outings for the La Liga side but appears to have shown enough potential so far this campaign to maintain drawn interest from Europe.

Chelsea have also been linked with numerous big-name strikers over the past year such as Edinson Cavani, Neymar, Gonzalo Higuain and David Villa but appear to have been rebuffed in any approaches.

Should Soldado come to Stamford Bridge, the transfer would supposedly rest on whether or not Chelsea would be able to shift another Spaniard from their ranks.

Fernando Torres has failed to hit the heights many expected from him since moving to Chelsea thirteen months ago and the club are reportedly open to offers for the former Atletico Madrid and Liverpool star and may accept an offer of £30m in order to offload the forward.

Despite Soldado’s recent form, the striker remains prolific based on his performances earlier on in the season.

In 37 appearances for Valencia across all competitions, Soldado has netted on 23 occasions, earning praise from many Spanish outlets and helping to guide his club to their current third placed position in the Spanish top flight.

If the 26 year-old were to complete Premier League switch, his signature would be expected to cost around £23m but, as aforementioned, his transfer could rest on whether or not Andre Villas Boas’ side are able to move the faltering Fernando Torres on.