Mourinho believes Chelsea has won Cesc Fabregas race

Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea have been successful in the capture of Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas as a direct replacement for the outgoing Frank Lampard and according to reports in London, he thinks a formal announcement can be made before Spain take on The Netherlands in their opening group game this weekend as well.

The former Arsenal star looks all set to end his honeymoon period with the Catalan club after the arrival of new manager Luis Enrique who has made it clear that the Spanish international does not figure in his plans for the future.

Barcelona has put the player up for sale at £ 30 million with the player setting his heart on a return to the Premier League after failing to have the kind of impact he had hoped in la Liga.

And Mourinho believes he has done enough to convince the player to pick Chelsea over Liverpool. With Arsenal not keen on a move for Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea was always the favorite after Manchester United withdrew their interest after the sacking of David Moyes.

And any announcement regarding the capture of Fabregas could coincide with the announcement of a move for Spanish international striker Diego Costa as well. Chelsea has triggered his £ 32 million release clause with Atletico Madrid and the player recently underwent a medical with Chelsea as well.

This is the first time in his managerial career that Mourinho has been busy so early in the transfer window as he looks to complete all his transfer business as early as possible in order to give him more time to plan for the future.

And if they do manage to confirm the signings of Costa and Cesc Fabregas, it could be said that Chelsea would start the new season as favorites for the Premier League.