Mourinho: Chelsea in the race to sign Fabregas

The Portuguese boss is monitoring the Spain midfielder's situation, though he admitted that any move for the former Arsenal man will come after the World Cup has ended

Jose Mourinho has revealed that Chelsea are in the race to sign Cesc Fabregas, though any move will not materialise until after the World Cup.

The Spain midfielder has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs including former side Arsenal and Manchester United, though it has been reported that Manchester City have tabelled an opening bid of €37 million for the 27-year-old.

And Mourinho says he does not know which English club Fabregas hopes to play his football for in 2014-15, though he is monitoring the situation closely.

"I think he is eager to leave Barcelona and very motivated by the idea of returning to England. I think that is pretty clear," he said at a Yahoo event in Belgium.

"After that, whether he signs for us or someone else is not a question for today, tomorrow or before the World Cup.

"We are interested to see how the situation evolves."

Fabregas' Spain and Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique has admitted that the midfielder has told him he is set to depart Camp Nou for €33 million this summer while Fernando Torres has encouraged him to move to Stamford Bridge.