Surprise Chelsea bid for Blue Samurai striker Yoshinori Muto?

According to reports, Premier League leaders Chelsea, now odds-on with Coral at 1/25 to win the title, have made a bid for FC Tokyo and Japan attacker Yoshinori Muto.

Speaking to Japanese press, club president Naoki Ogane stated: “It is true that Chelsea sent us an offer for Muto. It is a formal offer with conditions. They want to acquire him in the summer.”

While most aspiring stars would jump at the chance of a summer switch to Stamford Bridge, Blue Samurai striker Muto seems to be a smart cookie, and is still mulling over his options.

The starlet said of Chelsea’s interest: “I have not decided yet at all. It is an honour for me to receive this offer from a great club.”

An economics graduate, savvy Muto may not want to play second-fiddle to stars such as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard in west London, but the Tokyo-born talent is capable of playing on either flank as well as up top so should slot into the squad seamlessly.

The 22-year-old has been capped 11 times for Japan, netting once, and was included in their recent squad for the Asian Cup.

Despite the disappointment of an early exit on Australian shores, the flexible forward still seems to be firmly in new Samurai Blues boss Vahid Halilhodzic’s plans and has a bright Blue Samurai future ahead.

Chelsea’s apparent offer for Muto is mooted to be around the £4m mark, which could be looked back on as quite a bargain, should Jose Mourinho lure the youngster to London.

Maverick Mourinho is expected to add attacking depth to his team next transfer window, with wingman Mohamed Salah set to stay in Serie A and Didier Drogba likely to hang up his boots sooner rather than later.

Summer signing Loic Remy has also made little impact since his switch from rivals QPR, though the French forward is 7/2 to strike the first blow against his former club in the upcoming west London derby.

The Blues certainly seem to have their eye on the Land of the Rising Sun, having recently penned a club-record five-year deal for Yokohama Rubber to be their shit sponsors from 2015/16, and a pre-season tour of Japan is also supposedly in the works.

Now, in Muto, the Stamford Bridge side are attempting to snap up one of East Asia’s most exciting young players. The adaptable attacker has struck three times in just four J-League outings in 2015, and has impressed since bursting onto the scene for his boyhood club in 2013.