According to reports from Mirror Football yesterday evening, Chelsea are set to swoop for Augsburg defender Abdul Rahman Baba after agreeing the departure of left-back Filipe Luis with Atletico Madrid.
The 20 year-old has just come to the end of a sensational campaign with the SGL arena outfit, bagging four assists in 31 appearances whilst averaging the second-most tackles per match (3.5) of any player in the division, which has lead The Evening Standard to describe him as ‘the best left-back in the Bundesliga last season’.
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Resultantly, the Ghana international has been linked to a host of major clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid in May, Arsenal and Chelsea in June, and Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and Roma earlier this month.
Chelsea are particularly keen on a deal but reports yesterday revealed their pursuit was being held up by their inability to offload misfit No.3 Filipe Luis, who has managed just nine Premier League starts since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid last summer.
Jose Mourinho insisted the Mattress Makers would have to repay the Blues’ original £16million investment to re-sign the Brazil international this summer, telling reporters; “If Atletico Madrid want him back then they have to pay and we have to discuss the offer. If he leaves then we have to react and we have to go in the market and find a replacement.”
And as confirmed by The Guardian, the Premier League champions have now concluded their negotiations over Luis’ return to Vincente Calderon, with Diego Simeone’s side agreeing to a £16million fee.
The west Londoners are now expected to accelerate their efforts to sign Abdul Rahman Baba. Mirror Football believe a deal could be brokered before the end of the week.