Bernard talks about Chelsea interest

Chelsea signed another Brazilian today, so we might as well start talking about a new(ish) Brazilian transfer target. Bernard was linked with Chelsea by the Italian media last week, although his agent quickly came out and denied that there have been any sort of formal negotiations between the two sides. The player had a few comments for the Brazilian media today though, so here they are:

"We know there is speculation, the press has been talking a lot. But nothing concrete has come so far. Chelsea are a club with a lot of visibility, they are a club where every player would like to play."

Source: Sky Sports

Bernard had some comments earlier this week about staying in Brazil, and hinted that this would be largely dependent on a raise. Mentioning interest from the reigning European champions seems like a good way to add a little more leverage as a player attempts to get that raise, so it's not all that surprising that the player would mention Chelsea.

Bernard is a fantastic prospect, but at this point he'd seem like a guy for whom Chelsea wouldn't have a severe need. Still, if the price is right, it would make sense to add the player and even if the idea is to eventually sell him for a profit. I'd be surprised if this is anything more than the player attempting to leverage a better salary though, as Chelsea just have a wealth of attacking midfielders already.