Potential transfer target: Pedro Leon

Lost in much of the transfer noise being made about David Luiz and Fernando Torres was the rumor that we may be working on a deal with Real Madrid to take on Pedro Leon as a loanee for the rest of the season.  According to Spanish radio (which is dubious at best), Chelsea have been in contact with Real about a loan spell and potentially an option to buy at the end of the season.  I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into the rumor, but to some extent a loan would make sense.  

Leon is a 24 year old right winger who was born in Spain.  He joined Real Madrid this summer from Getafe, and has been on the fringes of the Spanish national team for a few years.  At 6 feet tall, he's taller than your average wing player.  He's struggled to break through at Real, making only a few appearances this season (he is cup tied though).  As a loan player, he'd provide some nice depth up front without a huge investment, as his wages are likely fairly reasonable.

Leon is predominantly used as a wing forward, and is right footed.  He can also play as an attacking central midfielder or as a right sided midfielder.  Here is a quick look at some goals and assists Leon had in his time at Getafe:

 

As you can see, Leon dribbles well, has decent pace, and works well from out wide.  That is something Chelsea sorely lack on the right, as Nicolas Anelka tends to drift back towards the middle quite often when positioned on the right.  Leon actually has a very similar skill set to that of Florent Malouda, except that he is more comfotable on the right.  He'd be a natural fit as a wing in our 4-3-3, and would allow us to use Branislav Ivanovic at right back without forcing him to attack all the time.  When Jose Bosingwa is in the game, he and Leon could provide the type of overlapping runs that Ashley Cole and Yuri Zhirkov or Malouda provide on the left, potentially forcing opposing defenses to watch the right the way they overload our left.  It would also likely create a little space for our guys on the left.  Here's a little beauty he put in against Milan in this seasons Champions League:

Leon would represent a smart buy at a lower price, but as a potential loan player he'd have virtually no downside.  Even if he struggled to break through, his presence as a right footed wide man on the bench would allow Carlo to change our shape and attack drastically mid-game with a single switch.  I'm dubious of the source for right now, but after the Ricardo Carvalho deal it wouldn't surprise me to see us get together with Madrid again on a bit of business.  It seems like this could be a great opportunity for both player and club if true.