:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/26154453/453119871.0.jpg)
The Telegraph have run a sensational story claiming Chelsea had made a huge bid for a player, apparently targeting Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain. Here's what they had to say:
Chelsea have had a £50 million bid for Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín rejected as Jose Mourinho tries to add some much-needed firepower to his attack.
Napoli have not given any encouragement to Chelsea in their efforts to land Higuaín and insist the Argentine, who played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, is not for sale.
That's some pretty big news, but seems a bit strange. Higuain was clearly available this summer when we were hunting for a striker, but Chelsea never got involved despite Mourinho having worked with the player before. The 25-year old has been in relatively good form in Italy this season, but certainly not so much that he's seen his value increase by nearly £20 million.
They weren't done there though, they had a bit more about the Chelsea striker situation:
Should Chelsea sign a centre-forward in this window, Demba Ba has been told he will be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge.
This part actually makes sense, though I'd be more inclined to believe this if it wasn't in an article claiming we'd made an unbelieveable bid for Gonzalo Higuain. This might not be enough to get the page views they desire though, so let's rile up the fanbase a bit...
Juan Mata has been told by Mourinho that he still has a future at the club but cannot be guaranteed a starting position. A bid of more than £20 million would be a tempting offer for Chelsea to part with him, particularly as Mata knows he needs to be playing regularly to keep his place in the Spain side.
Wait, Chelsea would be willing to part with Juan Mata for £20 million? They're willing to take a loss on their two-time player of the year, yet they're also willing to make a ridiculous offer for a striker they've had no (known) interest in previously? I was pretty sure that the paper was making up stories before getting to this point, but now I'm reasonably certain that this story is being written by manatees.
With the claims that the paper is making here, people are going to be talking about this story regardless of how stupid it actually is (hint...it's really [fun]ing stupid). This one looks like a turd and smells like a turd, and should probably be treated as such until it's inevitably denied by one or both clubs. Feel free to discuss this nonsense as you see fit.
