Jose Mourinho sets sights on Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Chelsea's Ashley Cole
By Pete Wilson
27 May 2010
Jose Mourinho is likely to make summer bids to take Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Chelsea's Ashley Cole to Real Madrid, where he is about to start work after winning the Champions League with Internazionale.
Cole has endured recent upheaval in his personal life and is going through a divorce and could welcome the opportunity to move to Spain. Gerrard has declined to talk in detail about his future although sources on Merseyside say he is open-minded about his plans after the World Cup.
Speaking in a newspaper interview published in Spain today, Mourinho talked about or made references to numerous players including Diego Milito, Frank Lampard and others. But is is believed he would be most likely to succeed with bids for Cole, 29 (for personal reasons) and 29-year-old Gerrard (because Liverpool could use the cash) if Real Madrid were prepared to spend as massively as last summer.
"I like players at the end of their careers. I love to have some players who are 33 or 34-years-old," Mourinho said. "[Gerrard and Lampard] are players who you buy and you do not recover the money but if they give you good performances for two or three years, you've got your money's worth. Both are great players who always give everything."
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