Done And Dusted – £44m Rated Chelsea Target Says "Yes, 100%. I Will Play Here"

Atletico Madrid midfielder, and Chelsea transfer target, Koke has ruled out any possibility of leaving the Vicente Calderon next season, but he is open to Filipe Luis returning from his one-year stint in England [AS]. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was reported to be very interested in signing Koke, but after reports gained pace Koke was interviewed and asked if he was going to be at Atletico Madrid next season and he replied

“Yes, 100%. I will play here.”

Then he was asked if he would be open to a possible Filipe Luis return…

“Filipe is more than a teammate for me, but a friend. If he comes back to the club he will be welcome.”

This is the most interesting part of the interview, because if Filipe Luis is returning to Atletico Madrid, most likely it is part of deal sending Antoine Griezmann to London. Griezmann is another Atletico player that has been heavily linked to joining Chelsea this summer. He can play striker, or on the wing,  and has proven this season how prolific of a scorer he is.

Chelsea supporters will hope that both Griezmann and Koke are playing at Stamford Bridge next season, even if it means that Filipe Luis has to leave for it to happen. Griezmann will provide Mourinho an extra scoring option, and will show his quality late in the season when Eden Hazard and Diego Costa grow fatigued. Koke will add an extra depth to the midfield, and will eventually replace Oscar as Mourinho’s favorite at the number 10 role.

I expect Koke and Griezmann to be heavily linked to Chelsea all summer, but they both will prove to be too expensive. Koke has a £44million release clause, and Griezmann’s is upwards of £60million. Unless Oscar is sold,  I do not think Koke will be a Chelsea player next season. And as for Griezmann, he would have a higher possibility of moving to London. He could push Willian to his natural central attacking position, and Eden Hazard to the right wing. An attack consisting of Willian, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Antoine Griezmann would absolutely dominate the Premier League.