Andre Schurrle always 'dreamt' of Chelsea move

Andre Schurrle has revealed that it had been an ambition of his to play for Chelsea ever since seeing his German compatriot Michael Ballack in a Blues shirt.

The versatile forward moved to Stamford Bridge on a five-year contract this summer from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth around £17m.

Schurrle has described Ballack, who played for Chelsea between 2006 and 2010, as his "idol" and has admitted that he has fulfilled a dream by following in the retired midfielder's footsteps.

"I had this dream for a long team and it was a dream to play for Chelsea and not for another club," he told Sky Sports News.

"I saw Michael Ballack play here and he was my idol, so it was a dream to come here - it was a specific Chelsea dream.

"It was a big time for the club, so many big players here, they had six or seven national team captains and I enjoyed watching it, and I remember watching them in semi-finals against Barcelona, I had it in my head I wanted to achieve this and get there and I am happy it comes to this."

Twenty-three-year-old Schurrle has yet to score for Chelsea in 10 appearances this season.