Benfica are struggling financially and having crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage the Lisbon based outfit will be under even more pressure to sell players in order to balance the books.
Jose Mourinho is ready to spend £20m on Serbian midfielder Matic, who left Chelsea in 2011 as part of the deal that saw Ramires move to Stamford Bridge.
The midfield powerhouse is an excellent steely competitor who as well being able to get stuck in is also adept at pushing forward and may well be a preferable option to the likes of Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel.
The Blues are also believed to be ready to meet Benfica’s £12m price-tag for Serbian winger Markovic, who is apparently already in discussions with the West London club.
The teenager only moved to Benfica in the summer and has impressed in Portugal, scoring three goals in 11 Primeira Liga fixtures.
With Kevin de Bruyne failing to make an impact and loaned out winger Victor Moses perhaps likely to be offloaded on a permanent basis there is perhaps scope for Markovic to boost Mourinho’s attacking complement.
Written by Steve Milne
