Defender Mangala is flattered by the interest shown in him.
Expected new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is set to make FC Porto centre-back Eliaquim Mangala his first signing on his return to Stamford Bridge, reports the Sun.
The Frenchman has a £30m buy-out clause in his contract, although Mourinho would not cough up this much and would aim to agree on a significantly lower fee.
Mangala himself has shown interest in the deal but has some concerns.
“It’s flattering because Chelsea are a great club and Mourinho is a great coach,” the 22-year-old said.
“I intended to stay in Porto but you never know what will happen in football, especially when big clubs are involved.
“At Porto I play every week and I am involved in the title fight and the Champions League. And that is important to me.”
With the returning ‘Special One’ aiming to strengthen his back four it adds further evidence to the fact that the 50-year-old is not convinced by the defensive credentials of David Luiz.
Luiz has become popular with Blues fans over the last season after moving into a midfield role under interim manager Rafael Benitez – particularly for a stunning strike the Brazilian scored against FC Basel in the Europa League semi-finals.
Yet question marks remain over the 26-year-old’s capabilities in defence and with Mangala seemingly on the way to west London, it could see Luiz heading out.
The Porto defender signed for the club from Standard Liege in 2011 for a fee of £5.7m, but it’s likely that a fee in the region of double that would be needed to tempt the Portuguese side into selling the 22-year-old.
COMMENTS