Rumours: Chelsea linked with Porto star

The London Evening Standard are reporting that Demba Ba is looking for a way out of Stamford Bridge while Jose Mourinho looks to sign Porto’s Jackson Martinez.

Ba, 28, joined Chelsea in January for a fee of £7.5m from Newcastle United, but the Senegal international has failed to live up to expectations, scoring only 2 goals in the Premier League since his arrival. The striker has now apparently had enough of sitting around waiting for a chance, with Mourinho clearly favouring Fernando Torresand Samuel Eto’o over the former West Ham United player.

Arsenal were reportedly interested in signing Ba in the summer, but ‘The Special One’ declared that Arsenal would be serious title contenders if they signed the striker and refused to sell to the Gunners. Now, it seems, many other clubs have joined the race for the 28-year-old including Turkish side Besiktas and Chelsea could be willing to cut their losses if they manage to sign Jackson Martinez from FC Porto – a player they have been heavily linked with in recent times.

Martinez, who has also been linked with Italian club Napoli, is said to be eager to leave the Portuguese champions and Mourinho’s connections at the club could prove to be a key aspect of any prospective negotiations between the two clubs. Martinez has scored four goals in as many Champions League games this season.

The London Evening Standard quote a recent interview with the Colombian forward where he states a desire to leave, but knows it is Porto that decide his future at the end of the day.

“The years are passing and one day I hope to make a good transfer. It clearly depends on Porto, a club that sells its players so well. Leaving or staying depends on Porto but I will only go if there’s something concrete,” said Mourinho.

“Napoli were one of the clubs who tried to negotiate (last summer), but Porto didn’t want to hear anything about it because they wanted me to stay. It is true that two of the clubs interested in me were British, but neither passed the first step of negotiations.”

It’s a deal that could be postponed until the summer due to the 27-year-old having already appeared in this years Champions League, rendering him cup-tied for the knockout stages of the competition. However, with Eto’o and Torres hitting a small patch of form in recent games, Mourinho may act now in order to stop other clubs hijacking the deal; utilising the powerful forward in the Premier League and going with either Torres or Eto’o for any remaining Champions League ties.

Demba Ba scored 13 goals in 20 appearances for Newcastle at the start of last season before signing for Chelsea, but has scored only twice in the league since.

Ba’s goals for Newcastle in 2012/13