With an £85m release cause, this story is bollox…
Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas eyes Porto’s Hulk
André Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has said that Hulk, Porto’s Brazilian forward, “fits” the profile of the kind of player he wants at Stamford Bridge and would be an ideal signing for the Premier League club.
Villas-Boas, who managed the Brazilian during his successful spell at the Portuguese champions, also said that the west London club will have to ship players out before any signings are made. Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, both signed by Villas-Boas’s compatriot Jose Mourinho, would make way for any new signings it is expected.
“We have Kalou and Malouda, both of whom are nearing the end of their contracts, while Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge are the future,” Villas-Boas told a Portuguese radio station.
“As such, there will surely be a place to fill and I see room for an explosive player on the wing, someone who is strong in one-on-one situations and Hulk fits that profile.”
Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, the Porto president, has previously said Hulk has an £85 million release clause – something even billionaire Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is likely to baulk at.
Negotiating with Porto proved futile last summer when the Chelsea tried to sign wing-back Alvaro Pereira, with Pinto da Costa reportedly still smarting from Villas-Boas’ decision to quit the Estádio do Dragão for Stamford Bridge.