With Chelsea looking anything but light up front, the time may have finally come for Nicolas Anelka to move on. Following the recruitment of striker Romelu Lukaku, as well as wide man Juan Manuel Mata this summer, Chelsea have plenty of options in attack and may be willing to allow the Frenchman to leave.
Anelka has been the subject of interest from teams such as Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, and Spurs this summer, but no bid has been forthcoming from any of the sides. Itasportpressare now claiming that Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala
are prepared to make Chelses an offer, and are willing to offer Anelka himself an extremely lucrative contract.
Under the ownership of Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, Anzi have been splashing the cash this summer as they look to assert themselves as not only a dominant force in Russia, but also in Europe. They have already brought in Balazs Dzsudzsak, Samuel Eto’o, and former Chelsea player, Yuri Zhirkov, all of whom join legendary Brazillian left-back Roberto Carlos at the club.
It is unlikely that Anzi will have any difficulties matching a valuation that Chelsea have of Anelka, and instead the deal is likely to hinge on whether or not Andre Villas-Boas sees Anelka as surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge this season. Should he make the move to Russia, Anzhi fans will be hoping that he can create a successful and prolific partnership with Eto’o, in what would be the most high profile forward line to ever play in the Russian domestic division.
