Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to fight it out for the signature of Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge, reports TuttomercatoWeb.

The former Manchester City striker has proved himself this season under manager Andre Villas-Boas with an impressive 9 goals in 21 League appearances. Yet Chelsea are unlikely to sell the England international, particularly as he is precisely the kind of young player the club is looking to rebuild around.

Sturridge has received wide acclaim for his impressive form with the West London club this season and has established himself in the Blues starting XI but not in his preferred central striker role.

The 22-year-old has featured as a right-winger for the majority of the season but still finds himself as Chelsea’s second top-goalscorer, just 1 behind Frank Lampard who has notched 11 times.

Although the young England star is enjoying his best season to date Sturridge’s father suggests his son can deliver much more if Villas-Boas played him as a central striker.

“When he plays in his natural position, which is a central striker, you will see may be two or three times as much of the player that you now see playing on the wings,”

said Michael Sturridge when he spoke to the Voice newspaper, in the Daily Star’s report.

“When you have seen someone play from under-nines right up to adult football as a central striker, then suddenly you see them playing in a different position that you have never seen him play, obviously you know, the position he played in as a youngster is the one he will be more comfortable in. 

Once he is in that position, I expect you will see a major improvement.”

In fact if one can see any Chelsea striker making the trip to Spain this summer then it would be Fernando Torres whose nightmare move to the Bridge may only have months left to run.