Rumour: Chelsea plan to swap Luiz for Bayern Munich striker Mandzukic

Mario Mandzukic of FC Bayern Munchen

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is set to use David Luiz as a bargaining chip in order to bring Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic to the Bridge according to the Express.

Brazilian centre-back Luiz has found himself out of favour at Stamford Bridge this season in his preferred position. When he has played it has been in central midfield and it seems as if Mourinho is ready to cash in on the defender.

Chelsea value the defender in the region of £30-35 million and despite the player’s personal desire to play for Barcelona the uncertainty of the managerial situation has opened the door of Bayern Munich.

The German giant’s boss Pep Guardiola is reportedly a fan of Luiz, who would be able to comfortably play the ball out of the defence, and a cash plus Mandzukic swap could be on the cards. Munich apparently believe that £15 million plus Mandzukic, who is also being tracked by Arsenal, could be enough to convince Chelsea to sell.

With Robert Lewandowski’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund imminent regular minutes could be hard to come by for Mandzukic with the 27 year old only starting 21 league games this season.

However at Chelsea he could find himself in direct competition with Diego Costa, who is all set for a £32 million move after the Champions League final. It is up to Mourinho to persuade the striker that he will get more opportunities in London than he will do in Munich.