Chelsea are reportedly willing to offer defender David Luiz to German champions Bayern Munich, in exchange for striker Mario Mandzukic plus £15m, according to the Mirror.
Though earlier reports claimed that Barcelona have won the race for the £30m-rated Luiz's signature, it now looks like Pep Guardiola has managed to outwit his former club. Also, this seems an ideal deal for Chelsea, who are currently in search of quality strikers following a disappointing trophy-less season .
Despite having reportedly secured the services of striker Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid for a fee around £32m, Mourinho, who is expected to offload both Demba Ba and Samuel Eto'o this summer, is keen on further strengthening his attack.
Mandzukic will also be interested in making a move away from the Allianz Arena this summer, as he is bound to fall further down the pecking order, with Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski (Bundesliga's top scorer) set to join Bayern's ranks soon. Also, the 27-year-old Croat, who netted 18 goals in the Bundesliga this season, does not seem to fit Pep Guardiola's style of play.
Though Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal are also reported to be interested in Mandzukic, who joined Bayern from Wolfsburg for a fee of £11m, Bayern will probably strike a deal with the Blues to get Luiz. Getting Mandzukic on a swap deal will also help Chelsea adhere to UEFA's Financial Fair Play rule.
Also, Mandzukic, who currently earns £3m per year, will most probably opt to go to Chelsea as the Blues are capable of offering him better wages than Arsenal.
On the other hand, Luiz, who has been in poor form this season due to him being deployed in a holding midfield position by Mourinho, will also probably be keen on moving to Bayern and play in his preferred centre-back position.
Mourinho, who recently stated that Chelsea will win the Premier League title next season, is keen on strengthening his forward line this summer as the Blues' inability to score enough goals, especially against smaller teams, eventually cost them the title this term.
