BARCELONA TARGET BLUES PAIR

ABOVE: David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic may be sold to Barcelona by new Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho

Brazilian defender Luiz is valued at £30m by the Blues, with Serb Ivanovic rated at £10m.

2nd June 2013

By Harry Pratt

CHELSEA are ready to sell David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic to Barcelona for a combined £40million.

Brazilian defender Luiz is valued at £30m by the Blues, with Serb Ivanovic rated at £10m.

Incoming Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has already sanctioned the plan to cash in on the pair so he can raise funds for his own summer spending spree.

Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, 22, is a top transfer target and the Frenchman is regarded as a direct replacement for Luiz.

Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi – available for £10m – is also on the Chelsea radar, along with £30m-rated Napoli hitman Edinson Cavani.

But unlike his previous spell at the Blues’ helm – when Roman Abramovich spent massively – this time Mourinho must sell first and keep the wage bill in check.

Which is why he has decided that Barca, who have been tracking Luiz for months, are welcome to him.

Luiz, 26, is seen as a liability at the back.

Ivanovic is a fans’ favourite for his no-nonsense, consistent displays either at right-back or centre-half.

However, having arrived after the first Mourinho era, the ex-Locomotiv Moscow man, 29, is now surplus to requirements for Mourinho.