Chelsea To Offer £30 Million For Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote & Tim Krul

Roman Abramovich is planning a £30 million raid to bring Newcastle United's key duo Cheick Tioté and Tim Krul to Chelsea in the summer, according to an exclusive report in The Independent. Krul (23) and Tiote (25) are seen as the prime young talent that Chelsea are targeting as part of a rebuilding process to replace the old guard at Stamford Bridge. Ironically this was a move that former boss Andre Villas-Boas began before the disgruntlement of the senior players such as Ashley Cole and John Terry led to his outing. Ivory Coast international midfielder Tiote is believed to have been a long term target for Chelsea almost since he first made his debut for Newcastle back in 2010 and has impressed as one of the most dynamic central midfield generals in the league. His signing would bring the Chelsea midfield the kind of strength it had under Claude Makelele under Jose Mourinho and would allow defensive security for the more attacking players in the side to play a more creative game. Of course Newcastle know exactly how much of a high commodity they have on their hands in Tiote and only six months after he arrived at St James' Park for just £3.5 million from FC Twente, United secured him to a contract that doesn't run out until 2017, a deal which earns him a whopping £67,000 per week. United are likely to value the player around the £20-25 million mark. Dutch international 'keeper Tim Krul has played all of United's games in the Premier League this season after Alan Pardew chose him over veteran Steve Harper at the start of the season. His impressive performances between the sticks have saved Newcastle loads of points this season and he has become one of the most consistent keepers in the Premier League. His signing would be as a replacement for 29 year old Petr Cech. Krul has been with Newcastle for seven years have signed as a 15 year old promising youngster from Den Haag in 2005 when Graeme Souness was Toon boss. Newcastle paid just £200,000 for him as a tribunal setting for his transfer fee and because of his age, are likely to value the 'keeper highly. He signed a new five-year contract at the start of the month but if Chelsea were to offer £30 million for both Tiote & Krul, it would be difficult for The Magpies to turn down the offer. Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias admitted upon the announcement of the financial figures for Newcastle that it would be difficult to keep hold of Tiote if a mega, Andy Carroll like offer came in for the player. If the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City came in for the midfielder and offered him the chance of Champions League, it would be extremely difficult for Newcastle to keep hold of their prized asset. Meanwhile, The Independent also says that Newcastle have sent scouts to watch Dutch 18-year old youngster Adam Maher play for AZ Alkmaar this season to add to their midfield ranks.