José Mourinho might not see a future for Eidur Gudjohnsen at a Chelsea that is about to sign Andriy Shevchenko, but the Icelandic striker has a lot of suitors. As well as those in England, the list of Spanish clubs interested is growing.
Last week, we reported that Barça were monitoring Eidur?s situation. Whilst their first choice for a striker to replace Henrik Larsson was Diego Forlan, Gudjohnsen is said to be the next on their shortlist. A host of other names have also been mentioned, such as Betis? Ricardo Oliveira, Fernando Torres, and Dutchman Dirk Kujt.
It seems clear that, after 6 seasons at Chelsea, Eidur?s stint in London is coming to an end, and Chelsea are unlikely to make his departure difficult, having put him on a transfer list. The arrival of Shevchenko and Ballack (as an offensive midfielder) is considered to make Gudjohnsen?s position in the Chelsea squad even less secure.
The evaluation of the Spanish media is that Gudjohnsen is dying to go to Barça (but then again, the Spanish media grossly over-estimates the attractiveness off their own league).
Over the weekend, there was speculation in The Observer that UEFA cup winners Sevilla are also tracking Gudjohnsen. There is also an apparent interest from perennial under-achievers Atlético Madrid. Of course, there are additional rumours that Atlético might be facing life with a rather worrying Fernando Torres-shaped hole in their front line (one can almost guarantee that a good World Cup performance with the Spanish team will see the rumour mill spinning in his case), and Gudjohnsen has been listed as a possible replacement.
Of course, no proof has been offered of this rumour, although there are suggestions that Atlético have actually tabled an offer.
Whilst we consider it likely that Eidur Gudjohnsen will leave Chelsea this summer, we also can?t see any reason that it should be to Atlético Madrid for the moment. Or to Barcelona. Suffice to say that Chelsea?s pursuit of Andriy Shevchenko is causing a major musical chairs between clubs and strikers, with the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy being suggested as Shevchenko?s replacement at Milan. For the moment, Eidur is being mentioned as a possible substitute, as a striker who will be on the market this summer.
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