Ashley Cole has been an integral part of the Chelsea back line for as many as seven years now. It is nearly impossible to think of a Chelsea dream team without him filling in at left back. However, all good things must come to an end and Cole too, is reaching the fag end of his career. He’s still got a lot of spunk and plays with the same youthful exuberance he had when he arrived from Arsenal in 2006. Though sometimes his body doesn’t agree with him and his age catches up. A replacement has to be found and Chelsea have been looking keenly for one.

The Gillingham youth product, Ryan Bertrand is very promising but still needs to work on his trade a little more. The Blues were linked to the Saints youngster Luke Shaw, but that path seems to be a dead end (for now). Chelsea have now turned their attention towards Real Madrid’s left back Fabio Coentrao according to the Daily Express. The Portuguese has 36 appearances for Los Blancos this season with mixed results.

Chelsea are very much in transfer rumour mode already, and are busy generating at least a rumour a day, and all this even before the arrival of Jose Mourinho! The Blues, as reported by the Daily Express, are now looking to sign the exceptionally promising young defender from Real Madrid, Raphael Varane.

The Frenchman’s defensive skill has been on the rise this season as he impressed everyone by doing an impeccable job in crucial matches. In the Copa del Rey semifinal, he was given the job of containing the-best-striker-in-the-world Lionel Messi and he did it with aplomb. He even scored a goal each in both legs of the match to help his club overcome their fierce El Clasico rivals.

The transfer season is usually a time when the clubs look to change around their players. But its the other way round for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 31-year old Swede is one of few players who looks to change around his club during the transfer season.

Ibrahimovic has thrown the dice saying that he is unsure of what would happen over the transfer season. When asked about a potential move to his thus far unexplored territory of England, a Swedish newspaper, quotes him saying “We will see. Every time I have changed club, I have done so when I said I would stay put. Anything can happen, even if I intend to stay. The way things are just now, a lot of things could happen."

The Blues face a critical transfer season come 1st July and they will be looking to make some efficient buys to strengthen their squad and hope to lead the league next season as well as challenge in Europe. In an attempt to do so, they have turned their attention to the Turkish duo of Burak Yilmaz and Arda Turan.

Burak Yilmaz plays as a forward for Galatasaray and impressed in the Champions League this season. He has been on target 32 times in nearly forty matches for Turkish champions, with 8 of those goals coming in 9 Champions League fixtures.

Top News

Ferdinand pens new one year contract

Rio Ferdinand has finally put pen to paper on a new one year deal at Manchester United that will now see the defender head into his 12^th season with the Red Devils. The 34 year old had been linked with moves to the MLS and Asia earlier in the season but his form since December has been exemplary and he has been duly rewarded with a new contract. “I am delighted to have signed a new contract. Who wouldn’t want to play in this fantastic team in front of 76,000 fans each week?” said an excited Ferdinand to Manutd.com. New boss David Moyes also effused about the centre-back who recently retired from International duty.

Vermaelen now on Napoli’s radar

Poor Thomas Vermaelen has not only lost his place in the Arsenal starting line-up, he has also lost his standing in the rumour mill. A day after being linked with Man United and Barcelona, the Belgian is now said to be a target for Napoli according to TalkSport. The Italians feel that they can secure the 27 year olds services for cheap in the summer and a year after being handed the captain’s armband, Vermaelen would only be following standard procedure by leaving the Emirates.

Money talks, in the world of football, and that is exactly what the clubs of today are striving hard to prove. First there were the mighty Blues, whose big cash exploits in the transfer market (for players and managers, both) were attributed to their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. Then came the Sheikh Mansour owned Manchester City, followed by the QIA backed Paris Saint-Germain. And now it is the turn of newly promoted AS Monaco.

The Ligue 1 side have been reported to be on the lookout for quality players in the transfer market for a long time, to offer stiff competition for the French League title next season, and it finally seems that owner Dmitry Rybolovlev’s transfer schemes have paid off. The Daily Express reports that Monaco are planning a double coup to raid Portuguese side Porto and rob Manchester United and Chelsea of their transfer targets for this summer – James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho – respectively.

That Wayne Rooney is a prodigious talent is of no doubt. The player is versatile, adaptable and on his day, the world’s deadliest striker. But in comparison to players like Messi and Ronaldo, Rooney’s still not done justice to his enormous talent. Paris St. Germain are keen on rectifying that and the club are ready to offer a total package of £100 million to Wayne Rooney and Manchester United to see the 27 year old move to the City of Love. This includes a four year deal worth £15 million a year after tax cuts.

Most factions in the red half of Manchester will be glad to see the player’s back due to his topsy-turvy love affair with the club. The player was a fan favourite before he demanded a transfer request in the fall of 2010, citing the club’s apparent lack of motivation as his reason. Then he made a dramatic U-turn and signed a lucrative five year deal with the Red Devils.