Chelsea target Yoshinori Muto completes switch to Mainz

Chelsea have missed out on the signing of Yoshinori Muto after Bundesliga outfit FSV Mainz 05 confirmed they have completed a deal for the FC Tokyo player.

Japanese striker Muto, who has scored nine goals in the first stage of the 2015 J-League, was linked heavily with a £4m ($6.1m) summer switch to Stamford Bridge in April when club president Naoki Ogane revealed they had received a formal offer from the Premier League champions.

Such rumours came just a matter of weeks after Chelsea had announced a hugely lucrative shirt sponsorship deal with Yokohama Rubber, with the 22-year-old stressing the need to consider his next move carefully in the context of his individual development.

"I know a little [about Muto]," Jose Mourinho said when questioned regarding the interest in Muto.

"[But] I don't think it's nice for me to speak about a player who plays for FC Tokyo. That's modern football, that's modern management. Football is a business, is an industry. You have to think about the financial situation, especially a club like Chelsea that wants always to be under the rules and Financial Fair Play.

"You cannot close completely the door to a little bit of commercial interest. But we are a football club, we want to win matches and trophies and we don't get players if we don't believe the player is a good player or a good prospect. That is for sure. We would never bring a player if the player has no capacity to be in a Chelsea Football Club squad."

Chelsea will now have to look elsewhere for a forward to provide competition for the likes of Diego Costa and Loic Remy in the aftermath Didier Drogba's imminent exit, however, with Mainz proclaiming the arrival of Muto on 30 May.

"#Zerofivers sign Japanese international Yoshinori #Muto of @fctokyo_express on a 4-year-deal," they revealed via an official Twitter account.

Regarding the club's latest signing, Mainz boss Martin Schmidt was quoted as saying by the Bundesliga website: "We spent a long time watching Yoshinori Muto because we're certain he'll fit in at Mainz 05 and with our style of play.

"He's a quick, agile and technically gifted forward who can play out wide, and he'll bring us added qualities in those positions."

Mainz finished 11th in the German top-flight last term but were denied a place in the Europa League after suffering a disappointing 3-2 aggregate defeat to Asteras Tripoli in the third qualifying round.