Chelsea are again linked to Alvaro Pereira

With the emergence of Ryan Bertrand as a quality backup, the presence of Ashley Cole, and the amount of depth we've now added on the wings, I was under the assumption that the links between Alvaro Pereira and Chelsea FC would go away. Alas, I was wrong. Sky Sports is connecting us with Pereira this morning, and have used the following quote from Pereira's agent as the basis of their speculation:

We are due to hold an important meeting with Porto, but I do not want to speculate on what the outcome will be

Pereira doesn't seem to be happy at Porto at the moment, as can be concluded from the fact that he's not currently in training with the team. The specifics of his situation aren't fully known, but a little news can be found here and here. It would seem an odd situation if Pereira was trying to force a move though, as he reportedly just penned a new deal with the Portuguese club last fall. What was discussed between the club, agent, and player in the buildup to that extension is unknown, but it's certainly possible that he was given some sort of assurance that the club would consider a move if a top club came calling.

It's seemingly a bit of an odd fit for Chelsea at the moment though. Ashley Cole is in the last year of his contract, but with Ryan Bertrand waiting in the wings it would seem a bit premature to add a replacement who is in his prime. The left wing is seeming loaded now as well, and with Kevin De Bruyne on loan it doesn't look to be a need at any point in the near future. I suppose it's possible that Roberto Di Matteo believes he's capable of playing right back, as he has played there a bit in the past. Still, Cesar Azpilicueta seems like the better fit at the moment for me in terms of both age and rumored cost. If Marseille are pushing for quite a bit more than the rumored amount though, Pereira could be an interesting possibility if he's relatively cheap.

Sky's mention of a possible loan is interesting as well, as I really don't see why Porto would even consider that. Pereira is one of the best players in Liga Sagres, losing him only makes sense if they are making enough money to add to their squad.

Personally, I really don't see the fit here. I haven't seen anything reported that would suggest to me that Chelsea have decided to renew their interest in Pereira, but there is plenty of compelling reasons to suggest that there would be no interest at all. Pereira may well be on the move as Porto look to make a few Euros, but I'd be shocked if that move involved Chelsea. Common sense would seem to indicate that Pereira would not be a Chelsea target, so I'm going to chalk this one up to silly season nonsense for the moment. Who knows though...I've been wrong before.