Chelsea supporters could hardly be in better spirits ahead of their Capital One Cup semi-final with Liverpool at Anfield this evening.
Jose Mourinho’s men moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table at the weekend following their stunning 5-0 win over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium and Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The New Year’s Day defeat at White Hart Lane seems a long way away now with Manchester City having dropped five points in the last two weeks since the return of Premier League action.
Chelsea can now focus their attentions on making a trip to Wembley with the prospect of causing more misery to Liverpool particularly enticing.
When the draw was made back in December, reports suggested the Blues would be heading into this tie with a couple of new faces, however there has been no movement in the transfer market as of yet.
And with Mourinho hinting that could well be the way thing stay until the close of the transfer window, we have identified five of the most absurd transfer rumours regarding Chelsea so far.
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Click on Jose Mourinho to reveal 5 ‘most absurd’ Chelsea rumours heard so far this January.
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Lionel Messi
Chelsea fans could barely believe their luck when reports emerged Lionel Messi was going to complete a move to Stamford Bridge. Messi even started following Chelsea’s official Instagram account – a sure sign he was West London bound according to some.
Reports suggested Chelsea were set to complete a world record £500 million move until Messi came out and revealed there was no truth in the ‘made up’ stories.
Raphael Varane
Chelsea are supposed to be in the market for a new centre back with John Terry nearing the end of his career and Gary Cahill having suffered a dip in form this season.
Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane is a top target according to some reports, with Jose Mourinho having given the French international his big break at the Bernabeu.
Varane has since gone on to establish himself as one of the top young defenders in Europe but the stories that suggest the Blues could lure him to Stamford Bridge for as little as £19 million seem wide of the mark.
Gareth Bale
Chelsea have set their sights on Real Madrid star Gareth Bale according to some reports. The Welshman only completed a world record move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 and some suggest he is set to it all again just 18 months later with the Blues readying a bid of £100 million.
Bale will be going nowhere at the midway point of the season with other reports suggesting he is set to be offered a new contract at the Bernabeu, having helped Real Madrid to their tenth European Cup in his debut season.
Eden Hazard
Having established himself as Chelsea’s star man over the past couple of seasons, reports have linked Eden Hazard with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
With Chelsea sitting top of the league and still in with a chance of four major trophies this season, it would be ridiculous for Hazard to leave at the midway point of the season with some reports suggesting a big money offer will leave Chelsea with little choice.
Jose Mourinho may suddenly have become the advocate for Financial Fair Play but selling Hazard in order to fund new signings is a step too far.
Petr Cech
The Chelsea legend has lost his place to Thibaut Courtois this season but has been back in the first team for the last two matches after the Belgian international conceded five in the defeat at White Hart Lane.
Back-to-back clean sheets mean Cech is set to regain his place for tonight’s semi-final against Liverpool – the side who were strongly linked with a transfer.
Jose Mourinho has made it clear he has no intention of selling the 32-year-old, especially to a domestic rival. Cech now looks set to stay until the end of the season at least, possibly as the first choice.
