Chelsea FC manager Jos Mourinho has confirmed the club will be selling Brazilian Filipe Lu s – reportedly back to La Liga side Atl tico Madrid – and it appears the Blues have a replacement already lined up in Ghana international Abdul Baba Rahman
The Chelsea FC players involved in this summer’s Copa Am rica tournament in Chile joined up with the rest of the Blues’ squad on Wednesday at their training base in Montreal, Canada. There was, however, one notable exception.
Brazilian Willian as well as Colombians Juan Cuadrado and new signing Radamel Falcao began pre-season preparations with the team, but Filipe Lu s was – as expected – nowhere to be seen. It is believed the left-back is closing in on a return to Atl tico Madrid, whilst Chelsea FC are now reportedly ever closer to securing his replacement.
Chelsea FC on the verge of Baba Rahman signing
The Blues’ manager had already publicly announced that the club would be signing a left-back to compensate for the loss of Lu s, and it seems increasingly likely that the Brazilian’s replacement will be FC Augsburg left-back Abdul Baba Rahman.
According to the reliable Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea FC have scheduled a meeting with the Bundesliga side on Monday to try and wrap up a deal for the 21-year-old, who was voted the best left-back in the German top division last season.
The report claims that the Blues have already agreed personal terms with the Ghanaian, who is expected to sign a five-year contract with a salary of a 2 million net per season.
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Chelsea should complete Baba signing in similar time too, and Mourinho would still like to add pace to attack http://t.co/LEyAAOB2so
a Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) July 24, 2015
Di Marzio’s reports have since been corroborated by ESPN FC journalist Miguel Delaney, who writes that Chelsea FC expect to complete the signing of Baba Rahman before the Community Shield against Arsenal at the start of next month.
Baba Rahman the perfect replacement for Lu s
The 21-year-old would be the perfect replacement for the departing Brazilian, not only because of the fact that Chelsea FC would be getting a player with the majority of his career ahead of him, but also because it gives Blues’ boss Jos Mourinho a different option on the left.
Although C sar Azpilicueta is arguably one of the best full-backs in the league, the Spaniard is not as involved going forward, and being right-footed, cannot provide the type of service into the box that Baba Rahman is capable of providing.
The Ghanaian’s crossing and explosiveness on the left-flank could be put to good use by Mourinho, particularly if the Blues find themselves needing to add more width to their attack whilst playing against a deep defence.
If all goes according to plan, Baba Rahman will be a Chelsea FC player this coming week whilst Filipe Lu s will complete his move back to the Spanish capital.