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Midfielders seem to be the order of the week when it comes to Chelsea transfer rumors, so let's continue with the Croatian international Milan Badelj. The 27-year-old has been at Fiorentina for the last couple seasons, playing mostly in a midfield two alongside both more defensive (e.g. Carlos Sanchez) and more attacking players (e.g. Borja Valero, Matias Vecino) in either a 3-4-3 or a 4-2-3-1 setup. We can probably call him a box-to-box midfielder and not be wrong, and in that sense, we can see how he might be a good backup option for Chelsea.
Badelj first came up in the summer as a potential transfer target, before Chelsea signed his then-teammate Marcos Alonso. Last month, the Badelj rumors were back, this time with the likes of Spurs and AC Milan thrown in as well.
It's unclear why Badelj would want to leave La Viola. His contract is expiring in a year and a half, so perhaps it's just his agent trying to motivate things. Or maybe he's just unhappy? Either way, Badelj's already bored by all this.
"I feel bored talking about it. I understand the press want to speculate, they have a right to do that, but I find it funny that people talk about transfers so far away from the window."
"I still have one-and-a-half years left on my contract with Fiorentina - why wouldn't I stay here until the end? I have no problem with that. The thing that bothers me most are the stories that say I'm unhappy in Florence, which is not true."
"I'm thrilled here. The team suits me, I have a great relationship with the coach, I play regularly... the only thing I'm concerned about is how many points Fiorentina win."
-Milan Badelj; source: Goal
Badelj calling the rumors "boring" is perhaps my favorite thing about him. I almost wish we'd sign him just for that, but as with the earlier rumors of Kondogbia or N'Zonzi, spending a decent sum just to get a decent backup seems like a decent waste of time and resources and opportunities for others (i.e. Chalobah, et al.).