In what could be massively disappointing news for Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, it appears that Atletico Madrid striker Radomel Falcao could be heading to the Bernabeu this summer and not Stamford Bridge.
It’s been well documented that Abramovich was ready to meet Falcao’s £48m buy-out clause at the end of the season after accepting the striker will not be leaving Atletico Madrid in this month’s transfer window.
But Chelsea’s chances of acquiring Falcao appear to have been torpedoed by Atletico president Enrique Cerezo.
Cerezo was asked out Falcao’s future on Spanish television on Thursday and replied:
“Falcao has had something signed with Real Madrid for some time.”
Falcao wants to see out the season at Atletico, who start the New Year in second place in La Liga, seven points ahead of Real, and Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin also appears to be preparing the ground for a summer goodbye to their star man.
“Falcao has earned the right to decide his future.”
Missing out on Falcao would be a huge blow for Chelsea and Abramovich, who have reportedly came to the same conclusion that Chelsea fans did a year ago. That Fernando Torres is a shadow of the player he once was, and that Chelsea drastically overpaid for him.
But what do Cerezo comments mean for Cristiano Ronaldo and his future at Real Madrid?
There has been a lot of speculation about Ronaldo’s future after he turned down Real Madrid’s latest contract offer. Falcao is a traditional center forward, and I am not sure if he and Ronaldo can successfully play together.
Maybe Real Madrid’s interest in Falcao is just Real president Florentino Perez planning for a future without Ronaldo. A future where he in essence replaces the second best player in the world, with the third best, and pockets £40 or £50m.