Let's talk Andre Schurrle

Hello friends! I didn't think it was transfer rumour season just yet, but apparently I was wrong because the internets are abuzz with the talk that Chelsea are going to be buying Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. The rumour comes from Bild, who are claiming that a bid of €12-15 million plus Kevin de Bruyne will be enough for the Blues to get hold of the highly-touted (and, let's face it, pretty wonderful) Germany international.

There are only a few problems with this. Let's list them.

1. If the de Bruyne deal is permanent, the price vastly overrates Schurrle. De Bruyne would be worth a silly amount of money if sold -- we're talking in the region of €20 million. Schurrle's not worth €32 million, or anything particularly close to that.
   
2. If the de Bruyne deal is a loan, the package is worth far less than the €25 million that Bayer apparently rejected last summer. They could get more elsewhere.
   
3. De Bruyne's agent has just come out with quotes talking about his client's future at Chelsea, and nothing in there says anything about leaving.
4. Schurrle's not a good fit at Chelsea. Although he's theoretically a striker, he's much better coming in from deep and wide, which means he'd have to compete with Juan Mata and Eden Hazard for playing time. that won't go well for him. De Bruyne's more versatile and a better fit for the short and long term.
5. Why would Bild be privy to Chelsea's plans at this time of year anyway?

For me, I think this reads as Bayer trying to get Chelsea's attention for a de Bruyne loan next season. It's no secret that they're admirers and that it would be a step up for the Belgian, who's currently excelling at Werder Bremen, and a story like this, which demonstrates that Bayer are willing to give up one of their prized possessions to land him, makes their intentions even more clear. German papers tend to get leaks from German clubs, after all.

If I were Chelsea, I'd give Wolfgang Holzhauser a call after this and laugh off the idea of giving de Bruyne away permanently. But I'd leave the door open for a loan if Lars Bender could find his way to Stamford Bridge in the process.