Chelsea have been tracking Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schurrle for some time now and came close to signing the winger/striker last summer, but a move failed to materialise. However, it is looking increasingly likely that the ex-European champions will land their man this time round with reports suggesting the German international has even signed a pre-contract agreement with the club. The 22 year-old has thus far refused to comment on the speculation linking him with Chelsea other than to express his dismay that a move to the Blues failed to materialise last summer. He may get his wish this summer, though, as Leverkusen's general manager Wolfgang Holzhauser hinted that a deal could soon be struck.
"Andre Schurrle has probably signed a pre-contract deal with Chelsea. "It all depends on whether we let him go. We have received a concrete offer for a fee which we are considering. "But the price alone is not decisive. We must also have alternatives, which we don't have yet."
A potential snag in the deal could be the fact Chelsea youngster Kevin De Bruyne's proposed move to Leverkusen as part-exchange looks to have fallen through, with the 21-year old wanting to wait and see who replaces Benitez before deciding on whether or not to leave London.