Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for FC Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez, but insisted that he will buy a defender this summer.
The 27-year-olda s future at Camp Nou has come under constant speculation this summer. Pedro made only 15 starts in the La Liga last season, as he has dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Luis Suarez. The Spaniard is keen to regain regular first team action next season and is believed to be open to a move to another league this summer.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with Pedro in this transfer window. The Merseyside club were reportedly eyeing a move for the forward following the departure of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City. But Pedro is unlikely to join a club without Champions League football next season.
Recent rumours stated that Manchester United are willing to activate the A?22 million release-clause in Pedroa s contract. This news popped up after Angel Di Maria was heavily linked with a move to PSG. Although Louis van Gaal are unlikely to sell Di Maria this summer, Pedro might very well be the back-up plan in case the Argentine international leaves the club.
Among the three Premier League clubs, Chelsea are the one who have been most strongly linked with the Spanish international in this transfer window. The Blues have had a quiet summer so far, as they already seem to have a squad strong enough to defend the title next season, but few additions are expected to take place before the window closes.
Don’t need another winger: Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has however ruled out the possibility of a move for Pedro, insisting he has enough depth out wide. The Portuguese manager however insisted that he is keen to sign a defender in this window, which was a not so subtle hint at their interest in signing John Stones from Everton.
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a I am looking for a defender to finish this balance in our squad and after that we are ready to answer anything that can happen to our players.
a If one of our players in a specific position wants to leave, we agree a deal for a player to leave and we have to answer immediately and bring in somebody else, because at the moment we have balance in the squad and we cannot lose that.
a I have five wingers, if I lose one maybe I am interested in another but at this moment I have balance and quality and numbers.
a Ita s a big challenge for us to go through the season with basically the same team and squad from last season.a a The Chelsea manager told Sky Sports News HQ.
But they might need one in the end
Despite Mourinhoa s claim Chelsea are expected to lose few of their wingers in this transfer window. Mohamed Salah will depart from Stamford Bridge, which Mourinho did confirm later on in this interview, while Victor Moses and Juan Cuadrado are also unlikely to remain at the club. Talking about Salah, Mourinho said: a I see his future elsewhere. Either on loan or sold with an offer we are happy to accept. We have five wingers and it is better not to have Salah back.a
If Chelsea lose all the three names mentioned above, that would leave them with Willian and Eden Hazard as players who can play out wide. Ramires and Oscar has also played in that role, but neither of them are natural wingers. Pedro would definitely be a good addition to the squad and can become another source of goals in the team.