Chelsea had 36m Mario Gomez bid rejected by Bayern Munich

Last updated : 09 February 2011 By Daily Mail

But an incredible ?36m bid made by Chelsea's billionaire owner for Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez was turned down.

Despite the harsh current economic times, the Blues smashed the British transfer record by signing Fernando Torres from Liverpool for ?50m and increased their spending tally further with the ?25m addition of Benfica defender David Luiz.

No go: Bayern Munich rejected Chelsea's ?36million offer for their top scorer Mario Gomez (L), according to the striker

Although it is unclear whether Gomez wastheir top strike target before recruiting Torres, the German international revealed Bayern flatly rebuffed the Barclays Premier League champion's stunning offer.

'I only found out about the offer after the club had turned it down,' the 25-year-old told the German weekly Sport Bild.

'But it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I am already at a top club and I am playing where I always wanted to.'

Gomez, who joined Bayern for ?26m in 2009 from German rivals Stuttgart, has enjoyed a successful season so far with 16 goals to his name and is the Bundesliga's top goalscorer.

Abramovich also tried to land highly-rated Anderlecht starlet Romelu Lukaku during the January transfer window but again saw his offer rejected.

The 17-year-old striker, out of contract in 2012, is one of the hottest prospects in Europe and has long been linked with a move to a big club.

Arsenal, Manchester rivals United and City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been monitoring Lukaku's situation for a few years.

While Chelsea may return with a fresh bid in the summer, Anderlecht are determined to keep hold of the teenageBelgium international for at least one more season.

'Chelsea wanted him this winter, but after consultation with his agent, we decided to decline the offer from the Blues,' the Belgian club's general manager Herman van Holsbeeck said last week.

'He is not ready yet, and we still want to hold on to him for one to two seasons. His price? €30 million (?25.5m).'

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Source: Daily Mail

Source: Daily Mail