Blues Bid Adieu to Kalou and Bosingwa, Drogba Hunted by Juventus
Chelsea have told Ivorian Salomon Kalou and Portuguese Jose Bosingwa they can leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, while Juventus circle Drogba
European champions Chelsea have reportedly told Portuguese right back Jose Bosingwa and Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou they can leave the club in the summer, according to a report in the Telegraph. The news follows confirmation Kalou's compatriot, Didier Drogba, will leave too.
Bosingwa, who was signed from FC Porto for a fee of £16.2mn in 2008, was regularly benched when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge. However, he enjoyed a bit of a renaissance during Roberto Di Matteo's reign. The 29 year old played the Champions League final in Munich but is now apparently set to leave the club as a free agent.
Kalou was signed six years ago for £9mn from Dutch side Feyenoord, when Jose Mourinho was in charge. Like Bosingwa, he too enjoyed a brief revival under Di Matteo after being overlooked by Villas-Boas.
Both players have had fairly good seasons and should not have too much trouble finding new clubs in the summer. Apart from these two, Chelsea will also soon decide the futures of Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and Paulo Ferreira, who have 12 months remaining on their respective contracts. The Blues will also be thinking about the future of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has enjoyed a very good season, on loan, at Atletico Madrid. Two other Belgians - teenage striker Romelu Lukaku and winger Kevin De Bruyne - are also set to discover their futures at the Stamford Bridge club.
While Chelsea may be saying goodbye to their old boys, the Champions League winners are not sitting idle in bringing in fresh talent this summer. The Chelsea board of directors including the owner Roman Abramovich, technical director Michael Emenalo and performance director Mike Forde, apart from thinking which players to let go this summer, are reportedly also busy preparing bids and offers to new players, according to a report in The Guardian.
Meanwhile, Drogba has reportedly attracted interest from Italian champions Juventus. A report in The Sun suggests that while the Italians cannot, obviously match the Chinese club's wage offer, the opportunity to continue playing in a top European league and the Champions League, as well as a £10mn signing-on fee may convince Drogba to swap Shanghai for Turin. The report suggests the club have offered him a two year £80,000 per week deal.
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