Chelsea are hoping to sign a new striker in the next few days, with Samuel Eto'o one option being seriously pursued by José Mourinho. The Portuguese worked with Eto'o at Internazionale and would cost around £5m from Anzhi Makhachkala.
The move indicates that the west London club have all but conceded defeat in their pursuit of Wayne Rooney, though having had bids of £23m and £25m rejected by Manchester United, Mourinho may decide to test the champions' resolve one last time.
But given the Glazer family, who own United, consider that Rooney staying at the club beyond the current transfer window is now a matter of principle, it seems that any further will be dismissed out of hand. David Moyes, the manager, is also minded that selling Rooney to a serious rival could all but hand the championship to that club.
At 32, Eto'o would offer Champions League-winning experience, both at Barcelona and Internazionale, and is being considered owing to Mourinho's misgivings about Fernando Torres's ability to consistently score.
Eto'o, who is available as Anzhi seek to cut costs, signalled he would be open to the move, by saying: "There is only one José Mourinho. I have played under a lot of great coaches – but there is no other character in the game like José.
"He is one of the best coaches in the world – and we had a lot of success together at Inter Milan. I would like to have the chance to play under him again because it is never boring when José is around. Chelsea are a great team. When we have all the offers on the table then I will discuss with my agent and see what my next step is."
Eto'o was a pivotal member of the Internazionale side who won the treble of Serie A, European Cup and Italian Cup in 2010 with Mourinho as their manager. With Internazionale and Napoli reportedly interested in the Cameroonian, Mourinho faces competition should he decide to move for him, though given his and Eto'o's previous relationship, Chelsea would appear to be favourites.