Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele this summer.
The Belgian international has fallen down the pecking order at White Hart Lane under Maurico Pochettino, who took over at Tottenham at the start of last season. Dembele made 21 appearances in the Premier League last season, but 16 of those came as a substitute. Pochettino has preferred the likes of Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb at the base of his midfield in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
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Jose Mourinho has followed Dembelea s career with interest since his AZ Alkmaar days and believes that he his addition can improve the squad depth at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are expected to lose John Obi Mikel this summer, who has been linked with a move to middle east. Mourinho sees Dembele as a replacement for Mikel and would act as a good back-up option for them.
Tottenham are expecting to receive A?12m for the midfielder, who was signed for A?15m three seasons back. The price tag wona t be an issue for the reigning Premier League champions, but it seems unlikely that Dembele will approve of this move. The midfielder will once again be mostly restricted to a role on the bench at Stamford Bridge with Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic being the first choice pairing in the midfield pivot. Dembele will do well to secure a move to mid table club, or abroad in Italy, where he will be a regular fixture in the first team.