The latest transfer frenzy surrounds Radamel Falcao, the Colombian forward, widely considered to be the best out-and-out striker on the planet right now. The 26-year-old from Santa Marta did provide justification behind the hype by scoring 36 goals in 50 appearances for Atletico Madrid in La Liga in 2011-12 season. Overall, he has made 57 appearances for Atletico and scored 47 goals, not a bad return even in light of what Messi and Ronaldo have been upto in recent years. Any transfer activity surrounding the Colombian is big news.
Of the clubs chasing him in the past, Chelsea have been the most prominent one. In fact, Chelsea wanted Falcao and his former FC Porto teammate Hulk as well. Hulk made a big money move to Zenit St. Petersburg and Falcao secured a move to Spanish side.
The news coming from Atletico camp is that Falcao can be sold if any club matches his release clause of 49 million pounds. It is high price indeed for most clubs to muster. But it does bring into play clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and now, Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid club President Ernesto Cerezo clearly stated that any big money move for Falcao would be accepted at Vicente Calderon, given Atletico's financial conundrums. He told TeleMadrid, "If someone comes along with his buyout clause, he doesn't even need to come and say goodbye. We shouldn't interpret that badly, as we always say things clearly..." So the stage is clear for a slugfest among top European clubs for Falcao's signature.
Real Madrid have been linked to the best players in world football at any given time. Their interest in Falcao then, should be seen in a general context. Real have two strikers of the likes of Frenchman Karim Benzema and Argentina Gonzalo Higuain on their books. Benzema, for his part, managed to score 30 odd goals in the 2011-12 season despite all focus being on Cristiano Ronaldo. In these circumstances, a move to Falcao from Real Madrid seems unlikely. However, Cadena Cope says that Real has indeed contacted Falcao's agent, Jorge Mendes.
Chelsea have been considering a host of striking options to bolster their thin strikeforce, including Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkeusen, Loic Remy for Marseille but Falcao has been the major focus of their attention. The months ahead will be very interesting from this point of view. If Real indeed manage to secure the services of Falcao, Chelsea could very well make a move to Higuain, who has been shunted off to the bench in recent seasons at Real.
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