By Alan Duffy
Maybe FC Tokyo striker Yoshinori Muto isn’t the sort of big-name player you’d expect the moneybags of Chelsea to be interested in. However, according to the BBC, via local news agency Kyodo News, the west Londoners are indeed eyeing a move for the 22-year-old Muto.
In fact, there are reports doing the rounds that Chelsea have already lodged a £5.5million offer for the forward and are currently waiting on a reply.
The attacker has already racked up 11 appearances for the Japan senior side while this season, he has netted three goals in just four J-League games. This comes after Muto bagged a total of 13 goals last season, a haul which earned him a place in the J-League’s ‘Select 11’ side.
Now, with the Blues announcing a new £40m shirt sponsorship deal with a Japanese tyre manufacturer earlier this year, one wonders if this apparent move is more to do with the commercial side of the club than the footballing one (spoiler: it definitely is).
Indeed, even if Jose Mourinho does make a move for Muto, he may well just become another one of Chelsea’s vast army of loanee players.