Chelsea to make £45 million Falcao swoop – Wednesday’s Rumour Round-up
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is prepared to fund a stunning £45 million swoop for Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao in January. The Russian billionaire is a huge admirer of the free scoring Colombian and had a first hand look at his talents after he scored a hattrick against the Blues in the Super Cup last month. Abramovich has run out of patience with Fernando Torres and wants Falcao to lead the line in West London and act as a long-term replacement for Didier Drogba. Manager Roberto Di Matteo only has Torres, Daniel Sturridge and Victor Moses to pick from and would certainly be in favour of adding the 26-year-old to the Stamford Bridge dressing room. Daily Mail
United on alert after Strootman admission – Kevin Strootman has put Manchester United on red alert after revealing that he intends to quit PSV Eindhoven in January. The 22-year-old was one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s top targets in the summer as he sought to strengthen the centre of midfield but refused to meet PSV’s £20 million asking price despite the threat of other interested parties, including Real Madrid and AC Milan, swooping in. However, Strootman is now determined to force through a move to Old Trafford with a bid of at least £15m enough to prise the Dutch international away from the Phillips Stadion. Metro
Chelsea and Everton target Cardoza to have new contract clause – Chelsea and Everton could be priced out of a move for top striking target Oscar Cardoza after it was revealed that Benfica have installed a £47.7 million buyout clause in his new contract. Toffees boss David Moyes has been a long-ter admirer of the Paraguayan but his hopes of ever pulling off a deal are all but over. Roberto Di Matteo could afford to make a move for Cardoza but would have to convince owner Roman Abramovich to part with the cash. talkSPORT
Premier League trio to battle for Denisov – Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal are monitoring the situation of Russia captain Igor Denisov after he was relegated to training with the Zenit St Petersburg youth team following a bust up with the club. Denisov angered Zenit bosses after condemning the board for hanging out generous salaries to summer signings Hulk and Alex Witsel. Zenit are now forcing him to train with the youth team alerting the aforementioned Premier League clubs to his possible availability should the dispute remain unresolved come January. Daily Mail
