Chelsea FC Transfer Rumours: Radamel Falcao Signs New Deal With Porto

Remember all of that talk about Colombian striker Radamel Falcao wanting to reunite with former manager Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea? It was all a little confusing, at least to me. There was no doubt that Falcao is an excellent player and was available on a relatively cheap release clause, but there was some question about just where he'd fit in at Stamford Bridge. After all, his best position is a centre forward, and Chelsea already had both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres competing for that position. Why add another big-money name to the mix? Why was there so much talk about a rumour that never really made that much sense?

And now, I think, we have our answer.

Porto, incidentally have confirmed the news on their official website and in a statement to their shareholders. One would suspect that the striker has seen a significant increase in wages, and Porto have managed to substantially raise his release clause as well, meaning that this is a good deal for both parties. It seems pretty clear (at least in retrospect) that much like with the Sergio Ramos rumours, Chelsea were being used as a negotiation device in the struggle to give a player a larger contract.

I think we can almost certainly put the idea of Falcao coming to Stamford Bridge to rest, if we hadn't already. I'm a little glad of that, despite my fondness for the player. I'd like to see Porto keep their team together as best they can, because they need a chance to prove themselves in the Champions League, so I don't think anyone should be too upset about this. Falcao is happy, Porto are happy, and Chelsea aren't impacted in the least. Cool.