Chelsea knocks door for Burak

Chelsea's pursuit of a striker to add to their forward options has led the reigning European champions and Europa League winners to lodge an inquiry with Galatasaray about the availability of their Turkey international Burak Yilmaz.

Chelsea, who should confirm the reappointment of José Mourinho as manager by the middle of next month, contacted Galatasaray to discover whether the 27-year-old was available. They were informed it would take a bid in excess of £20m to prise away the forward, who signed a four-year deal with an option for a further season when joining from Trabzonspor last summer. He had scored 33 goals in 34 league games for Trabzonspor the previous season.

That fee may prove prohibitive for a player who has not played for a club outside Turkey, even if he comes highly regarded by the former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who is a team-mate at Galatasaray.


/The Guardian/