Are Chelsea to rival West Ham United for Barcelona’s Alex Song?
Alex Song arrived in Barcelona from West London during the summer of 2012. He was one of the late-Tito Villanova’s first acquisitions for the club after he took over as its manager. But ever his arrival in Camp Nou, he was rarely used in matches. In his first season in Spain, he only made a total of 34 appearances for Barcelona and most of them as a substitute. This number even got less the following season.
Last year, Song was considered as a surplus material for Barça and was sent on loan to West Ham. After coming back to England, the Cameroonian player had resurgence in his career and played a major part in West Ham’s EPL campaign. The Hammers finished their season in 12th position.
Now, with two years still remaining in his contract with Barcelona, Song has been a target of some big EPL clubs again. Among the clubs that are reportedly interested in signing him are Chelsea and Manchester City. However, West Ham have also expressed their intentions of making Song a permanent figure in their line-up for next season.
According to sources, Barcelona’s asking price for Alex Song is £5 million. This is considerably smaller than the amount they paid three years ago to bring him which is £15 million. Song still has two years of his contract with Barcelona. It’s not sure where will he play next, but it will definitely not in Camp Nou. The Catalans are determined to sell him this summer for the club with the best offer.
Both Chelsea and Manchester City can easily come up with Barca’s asking price of £5 million, but it’s reported that West Ham want to have him for free and just keep on with his £70,000 weekly wage. Part of the EPL clubs’ interest on Song aside from his abilities on the pitch is his qualification as a home grown player. City and Chelsea want to include him to their line-up not just to strengthen their mid-field, but also to meet the quota for home-grown players. If you’re considering betting on football online as to whether Song stays or goes, it might be a tricky one. Personally I would like the Hammers to keep him as they are moving into their beautiful new olympic stadium next year and I’d like the player to be part of that.
Among the clubs that are interested on Song, it is believed that Chelsea have the biggest chance of signing him, not just because of financial considerations, but also because of their chances of winning a silverware.
