It seems that Chelsea are finally ready to give up on Fernando Torres. The £50 million experiment by owner Roman Abramovich has resulted in Chelsea losing one of the best strikers in the world – Didier Drogba. The powerful Ivorian has often rescued Chelsea almost single-handedly, while Torres has been looking increasingly laboured and disinterested in recent months.
Radamel Falcao Garcia and Edinson Cavani have been some of the strikers linked with Chelsea recently. However, both these players are expected to cost more than £40 million.
According to the Sun, Chelsea could be set for landing a much cheaper alternative in the form of Wilfried Bony. The Ivory Coast international has been one of the standout performers in the Dutch league this season. His 26 goals in just 24 matches have helped his club – Vitesse Arnhem – move within three points of the table leaders Ajax.
The player was apparently closer to moving to West Ham, but Chelsea are thought to have clinched the deal. Vitesse owner Merab Jordania is thought to have met José Mourinho, who has been linked with a return to Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
Mourinho has always preferred to have a target man upfront. The successes he has had Chelsea and Inter Milan primarily relied upon having a striker like Didier Drogba or Diego Milito. Bony is a similar kind of player due to his physical presence. At 24 years of age, he will also fit in perfectly with the current transfer policy of signing young players.
It has been hard to put a finger on a single reason for the failure of Torres. However, it is actually a good decision by the club to move on by accepting that they had made a wrong purchase. Bony could cost in the region of £12 million, while his wages will be in the region of £80,000 per week.
Bony could very well become the next Drogba with the kind of service he can get from the likes of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, and Oscar.