Radamel Falcao has been subject to intense rumour over the past few weeks as he is said to be unsettled at AS Monaco and is hoping to push through a move away from the club this winter.
Jose Mourinho went to watch the 27-year-old when Colombia beat Belgium 2-0 during a recent international break and despite saying he won’t add to his attacking line this January, it’s probably a position he would love to strengthen as none of his current strikers are finding the net with any sort of consistency.
But Chelsea aren’t the only side interested in Falcao as Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti hopes to bring him back to La Liga. When the forward’s transfer to Monaco was going through it was claimed that it was just a stepping stone to help him on his way to the Santiago Bernabeu as Atletico Madrid were not going to sell him to their local rivals.
That’s not the only crazy theory out there as we’ve also been told that there is a Financial Fair Play pact between the Blues and Monaco which will see Falcao transferred to Stamford Bridge and today the Daily Star have linked Falcao with a loan move to Chelsea, so there’s lots of conjecture and speculation surrounding his current situation.
These stories are crazy but it is clear that all is not well in the principality and changes in the rules would mean that Falcao would be picking up €7 million-a-month after tax rather than the €14m he initially signed for and the extortionate wages were the only thing attracting the big names to Monaco, who aren’t in this season’s Champions League and are sitting behind Paris Saint-Germain and Lille in the Ligue 1 table.
Jorge Mendes is the player’s representative and we all know that he is also Mourinho’s agent and many of his clients have a history of being transferred to clubs managed by Mourinho, so I wonder if that would give Chelsea the upper hand should they take Real Madrid on for the player’s signature.
Falcao has scored nine times in 14 games for Monaco and has proven himself a goal scorer in both Portugal and Spain, if he could replicate that sort of form in the Premier League then it could be the difference between winning titles or falling short.
The Blues’ current strike-force have less goals than on-loan Everton striker Romelu Lukaku combined, so although Mourinho won’t say it publicly I do not believe he’ll be turning down any top striking talent this winter.