Chelsea prepare £58m swoop for Mata and Modric; Atletico agree to sign Falcao

Chelsea prepare £58m swoop for Mata and Modric

Chelsea are ready to make a real statement about their ambitions by raising their bids for Juan Mata and Luka Modric.

The Blues have been awfully quiet in the summer transfer window, with Romelu Lukaku the only notable signing so far.

However, Chelsea plan to add at least two more star players to their squad by the end of the transfer window.

Boss Andre Villas-Boas has told Roman Abramovich that he needs few more quality signings if Chelsea are to enter the Premiership title race and the Russian billionaire has responded in a positive manner.

According to Daily Mail, the Blues are prepared to raise their bid for Luka Modric to £31 million after having £27m bid rejected last week.

On the other hand, they are planning to hijack Arsenal’s move for Valencia winger Juan Manuel Mata and are ready to offer up to £27 million for the Spain international.

Both Tottenham and Valencia are looking to cash in on their star players, which means that double swoop for Mata and Modric is a realistic possibility.

Atletico agree to sign Falcao

Atletico Madrid have agreed to sign Porto striker Radamel Falcao Garcia, the Spanish club have announced.

The 25-year-old forward was expected to leave the Dragons following an impressive last season and some good performances at 2011 Copa America.

He was numerously linked with a move to Chelsea, but it was Atletico Madrid that eventually agreed a fee with Porto.

“Atletico Madrid and Porto have reached an agreement for the transfer of Radamel Falcao to the Rojiblancos,” read a statement on club’s official website.

“The Colombian striker, top scorer in last season’s Europa League with 17 goals, will sign a contract for five years with our club.”

Meanwhile, Porto have announced that Atletico will pay  €40 million for the Colombian, with the fee possibly rising to €47 million.

Falcao’s arrival at Vicente Calderon is likely to push Diego Forlan towards the exit, with the Uruguayan reportedly very close to joining Inter.

Race hots up for PSG star

Rennes are the latest club to have joined the race for Paris Saint-Germain striker Mevlut Erding, L’Equipe reports.

The Turkish forward has lost his place in the starting line-up after the arrival of Kevin Gameiro from Lorient and he is now looking to leave the club in search for first team football.

Erding was very close to joining Newcastle few weeks ago, but the transfer eventually fell through.

Sunderland, Galatasaray, Bordeaux, Lille and Saint Etienne have also shown interest in the highly regarded attacker.

According to L’Equipe, Rennes are seriously weighing up a move for the Turkey international.

Frederic Antonetti wants another striker to increase competition for places in attack, and he sees Erding as the man for the job.

It is believed that Paris Saint-Germain want €8 million for the player, which is the same amount they paid for him two years ago.

For more news about football transfers and rumours, visit our Transfer News section. To view all football transfers for 2010/11 season, visit our Soccer Transfers section.