Chelsea linked to swap deal involving Benfica attacker

Chelsea have decisions to make on many of their army of loanees this summer, and one youngster is already talking about the possibilities ahead of him next season. Wallace hasn't had the greatest of seasons for Vitesse Arnhem, but apparently he's done enough to catch the eye of Benfica, and would have interest in joining the Portuguese club.

Wallace has shown flashes of big talent in the past, and was on the radar of several big European clubs before Chelsea made his transfer official. He's struggled a bit to adapt to life in Europe though, likely due in large part to starting out with an aggressive loan to a club in which he didn't fit the system very well at all.

The talent is certainly there with Wallace, and I can see why Benfica would be tempted to take a flier on the Brazilian. If Chelsea are willing to sell, I'd imagine a deal could be worked out regardless or whether or not the Blues have any interest in Nicolas Gaitan, as reports in Portugal indicate.

Personally, I'm not sure there's any substance to the reported interest in Gaitan, as he'd likely be nothing more than a quality backup at Stamford Bridge. He'd fill the same sort of role that rumored target Douglas Costa would, but at 27 and coming from a club that usually gets far too much for their players, I'd put him pretty close to the bottom of my transfer wishlist. Who knows, though...maybe the plan is to rotate the squad more often next season than we have in the recent past, in which case having a few guys like Gaitan would make an awful lot of sense.

Gaitan interest or not, I'd still keep an eye on the Wallace to Benfica rumors, as the player's comments on the matter make that deal seem pretty likely.