Chelsea have prepared a package worth £7 million a year over four seasons to tempt Hulk, the Brazil striker, to London as the European champions continue a comprehensive revamp of their squad.
The 25-year-old, at present with Porto, has agreed a deal that will earn him about £135,000 a week with representatives acting on behalf of Roman Abramovich and has intimated to Chelsea, as revealed by The Times last week, that he is prepared to submit a transfer request to the Portuguese club to force a move.
Chelsea are yet to agree a fee with Porto and are thought to have set a ceiling of about £30 million for the transfer — taking the total cost of the deal to £58 million, as well as a lucrative bonus scheme — although Porto remain adamant that they will not countenance his departure for less than £38 million.
Even that is a considerable climbdown from the Portuguese champions. Last year, Pinto da Costa, Porto’s belligerent president, insisted that Hulk would be sold only if a club met the €100 million (about £80 million) release clause in his contract. It is thought that Porto are prepared to accept about half that fee, but are not willing to negotiate any further.
Despite the continuing confusion over Chelsea’s managerial situation, Abramovich and his technical director, Michael Emenalo, are determined to press ahead with their plan to revitalise the squad that so memorably lifted the Champions League trophy in Munich last month.
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Didier Drogba, the striker who scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich, has confirmed that he will leave the club after eight seasons, while José Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou will not have their contracts renewed. Chelsea are also thought to be willing to listen to offers for Florent Malouda and Michael Essien.
In their stead, a deal is in place to sign Eden Hazard, the Belgium playmaker with Lille, for £32.3 million when the transfer window opens at the start of July. The 21-year-old, who featured in his country’s 1-0 defeat by England at Wembley on Saturday, has agreed a five-year contract worth about £100,000 a week after tax.
Chelsea are also contemplating moves for Radamel Falcao, the prolific Atlético Madrid and Colombia forward and a former team-mate of Hulk in Portugal, and Edinson Cavani, the Napoli and Uruguay striker, who is valued at about £40 million.
Chelsea’s scouts were informed eight weeks ago that Falcao was now considered their priority.
Signing either, though, would cast considerable doubt on the future of Fernando Torres, who was assured by Abramovich after the Champions League final — which he described as one of the lowest moments of his career after Roberto Di Matteo, the interim first-team coach, confirmed he would start the game on the substitutes’ bench — that he would be given the task of leading the line next season.
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The push to sign both Hazard and Hulk — who would function as wide players in the 4-2-3-1 formation Torres favours — suggest that the Russian owner intends to be true to his word.