Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Latest on Wayne Rooney, Edinson Cavani and More

Chelsea will battle Benfica for the Europa League title on Wednesday night, but with just that clash and one Premier League match officially separating the Blues from the summer transfer window, the rumours are starting to crank up at Stamford Bridge. 

The club has already agreed to a new deal with long-time Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, according to The Telegraph, and more changes are expected to shake up the side in the coming weeks. 

Starting with interim manager Rafa Benitez and moving down into the ranks of the players who currently make up the Chelsea roster, the Stamford Bridge side will look to improve upon their top-five finish in Premier League play and challenge Manchester United for the crown for the first time since the 2009-10 season. 

Some talented names top the list of those who might be arriving soon to help the Blues accomplish that goal. 

From managers to players, it seems nothing is off-limits right now. Check out the sections below for the latest dish on players, coaches and other rumours surrounding Chelsea's transfer window situation for this summer. 

Jose Mourinho

"The Special One" has been rumoured to be coming back to Stamford Bridge for quite some time now, and a report from the Daily Mail in early May claimed that Mourinho has already lined up his deal to return to Chelsea once the season is over. 

It certainly isn't that simple, though. 

Mourinho has a £17 million (originally reported to be £12) buyout clause in his Real Madrid contract that will either have to be forfeited or paid by Chelsea—a steep price if you consider some of the other moves that the club wants to make this season. 

However, Mourinho is, and has been, the lone candidate to return and take over for Benitez once the season is over, and rumours about Mourinho wanting to bring players like Xabi Alonso, according to The Independent, and the next player on this list, Wayne Rooney, according to The Daily Mail, are starting to abound. 

According to the Daily Mail, nothing is finalized yet, but Real Madrid have reportedly reached out to Paris Saint-Germain manager Carlos Ancelotti—to no avail—and are preparing for life without Mourinho next season. 

Rumours about his return are just that, but there's a buzz around Mourinho's name that continues to place his status back at Stamford Bridge as something more than just speculation. After Chelsea's outcome on Wednesday night, we could know even more. 

Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United striker has been disgruntled and unhappy for most of the 2012-13 season, highlighted by his absence from the starting lineup against ex-teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Real Madrid lineup in Champions League play. 

Retiring Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson even confirmed that Rooney was looking for a transfer after his nine-year stint with the club, per FIFA.com:

Not many English clubs make more sense than Chelsea. 

Greg Stobart certainly thinks that will be the case in this video for Goal.com, largely because Chelsea has the financial support and the wages to offer Rooney that will afford him the chance for a contract extension, no dip in terms of competition (as opposed to joining another league) and the chance to (maybe) team up with English national teammates Frank Lampard and others in the Chelsea midfield. 

There's been other interest in Rooney's services, including a report on Wednesday linking fellow EPL club Newcastle United to making an aggressive bid to United for his services. 

So far, Chelsea seems to have the edge on signing the striker, but it would appear that other clubs, the money issue and maybe patching things up with United management are all also still in play. 

Edinson Cavani 

According to reports from talkSPORT, Chelsea are lining up a huge deal for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani this summer, expected to be in the neighborhood of £42.5 million. 

If the reports are true, it would give Benitez, Mourinho or whomever is managing the Blues a rising star in the EPL next season. Cavani, a 26-year-old striker, has 39 goals in all competition this season (44 games), and that includes 28 in 32 Serie A games. 

The move comes on the heels of another report that reportedly took Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao—Chelsea's No. 1 offseason target, according to reports—off the market and into the hands of Monaco. 

Per this talkSPORT report on Tuesday, Falcao has agreed to a massive deal with the French side and will avoid the EPL in favor of a club looking to find some firepower to compete with PSG. 

That makes Cavani a logical second option for Chelsea, and the Blues will need to strike quickly to avoid Napoli convincing him to stay or another EPL club swooping in to offer him a larger or better weekly contract. 

The rumour mill is just heating up for the Blues and will be sure to start churning again both after the Europa League final and the May 19 EPL finale. 

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