It has emerged that a reported £20m bid is set to be made by Chelsea for Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic. The Croat’s agent has been in London recently and despite rumours linking him to Arsenal, it is understood by Sportsmail that it was representatives of Chelsea that met with his agent.
There is strong belief that due to his requirements at the Allianz being lessened with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, he will avaliable for a cheaper price this summer.
Despite this, Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has made his feelings clear, that he doesn’t want to sell Mandzukic and there will be no cut price for any club. The Croatian has shown his goal-scoring prowess this season by netting 16 times in the Bundesliga despite limited playing time.
Rummenigge said: ‘We want him to stay, and I remain fairly confident he will,’
‘But I know that many clubs throughout Europe want him, and that is not surprising.
‘You only have to look at his scoring record to see his quality, so we will see what happens.’
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is planning a clear out of Stamford Bridge this summer and has expressed his interest in Mandzukic and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa as prime candidates to reinforce his striking options.
Lewandowski’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season could potentially be the last straw for Mandzukic and the Croat could find his way to the Premier League. The European champions will not let him go cheap though and the £20m pirce tage is the starting price to begin negotiations.
By Phil Wellbrook
