Chelsea defender Filipe Luis is expected to return to former club Atletico Madrid after an unsuccessful season with the Blues.
The 28-year-old joined Chelsea from Atletico on a three-year deal for £15.8 million in 2014 after the Spanish club won the La Liga title and reached the Champions League final.
However, he made only 15 appearances for the club in the 2014-15 campaign. For most of the season, he found himself warming the bench while Cesar Azpilicueta started as left-back.
Azpilicueta, traditionally a right-back, has been so effective in his role that he caused former Blue Ashley Cole to pack his bags and look elsewhere for first-team football. And now, Luis is looking to leave for the same reason.
The La Liga giants took notice last season as Luis struggled to adjust to Premier League football and are pursuing the Brazilian. Manager Diego Simeone is keen to resign the defender, and former Atletico teammate Koke has said of Luis:
“Filipe Luis decided to leave and now he has the chance to return.
“If he arrives, there will be more competition, and that’s good. We’ll be a better team and fight for more things.
“He is no traitor. As long as he plays, and plays well, there won’t be any problem.”
Luis’ return seems likely as he has expressed his desire to leave Stamford Bridge. Blues boss Jose Mourinho is already targeting Augsburg star Abdul Rahman Baba to replace Luis and challenge Azpilicueta as left-back.
There is no guarantee that Baba take Luis’ place as Chelsea have already had a £10 million bid rejected and many other clubs, including Arsenal and Roma, are interested.
However, the Ghana international would prefer to move to a London club, and Mourinho has a knack for convincing players to join his side despite little promise of playing time.
