There are some interesting quotes circulating this morning involving Hulk that seem to suggest he might not be as sure a signing as we had initially thought he may be. His agent, Teodoro Fonseca, had the following comments today:

The offer from Chelsea is not the only big one we have in Europe and they know that. At this moment everything depends on Porto. I am in constant contact with the Porto president and there are no changes. the club wants him to stay there and they have made him a new offer to stay. Hulk is happy at Porto and if he has to stay there it will not be a problem. He has been chased by big clubs in Europe for the last three years and he is still there.

We all knew Chelsea were interested, so there is nothing new in that regard. It's also not surprising that there are other clubs willing to add Hulk to their squad. I'd still question just how viable an offer most of these clubs are presenting, although competition would likely lead to an increased wage for the big Brazilian. It's also quite possible that a newly rich club like PSG or Malaga has decided to enter the mix, something that's likely to become increasingly irritating in the coming years.

These comments certainly don't mean that Hulk won't be coming to Chelsea, but I'd have to think it means we should probably not be taking the move as a mere formality. As I've mentioned before, I'd rather see us go in another direction anyway, so I'd almost be happy to see this deal fall through. We'll keep you informed as we hear more...