Chelsea convinced Liverpool ready to do Torres business

Chelsea will test the resolve of Liverpool over star striker Fernando Torres.
New Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has given the thumbs up to make a bid for the Spain international.
Although Liverpool lag some way behind Chelsea and United in terms of spending power, the thought of cashing in on Torres, the striker who scored 33 goals for them last time out, in his debut season, would cause uproar among their support.
Chelsea have been told that one of the Americans is willing to let Torres go for the right price and are planning to test Liverpool's resolve with a bid.

Ronaldinho wants to play for Scolari at Chelsea

Barcelona ace Ronaldinho wants to follow Luiz Felipe Scolari to Chelsea.
Big Phil will contact Brazilian playmaker Ronnie in the next few days to assess his hunger and desire.
Scolari is aware that signing Ronaldinho, 28, from Barcelona is a huge gamble - after he was plagued by injury and personal problems last season.
Ronaldinho's brother and agent, Roberto de Assis, said: "At the moment Ronaldinho is taking a complete break at home in Porte Alegre.
"There are options for next season and obviously he knows Scolari very well and they have enjoyed great success together.
"We'll see what happens but my brother will be ready for next season."
Assis has met with Chelsea in the past about a possible move for Ronaldinho - who is also a target for new Manchester City boss Mark Hughes.
But the chance to link up with the coach who brought the brilliant best out of him with Brazil will be very tempting.

Deco in talks with Chelsea owner Abramovich

Chelsea are set to wrap up the signing of Barcelona midfielder Deco.
Deco left Portugal's Euro 2008 HQ and took a flight out of Geneva at 10.10am yesterday.
Deco is said to have flown to Croatia where Roman Abramovich has a boat moored in Dubrovnik.
He is expected back at the team hotel at 1pm on Friday.
Playmaker Deco, 30, is valued at around £10million by Barca.
And Blues owner Red Rom has no problem stumping up the cash to get Luiz Felipe Scolari his man.

Chelsea boss Scolari wants his Portugal star Quaresma

Chelsea are moving for Porto attacker Ricardo Quaresma.
Luiz Felipe Scolari has identified his Portugal star as a priority target for his new job at Stamford Bridge.
Only yesterday, Quaresma admitted he had agreed terms "with a big club" but refused to name the team in question.

Scolari convinced he can land £60M Kaka for Chelsea

Luiz Felipe Scolari is convinced he can lure AC Milan star Kaka to Chelsea this summer.
Chelsea will intensify their pursuit of the World Player of the Year after the forward was made the club's top target during the new manager's talks with chief executive Peter Kenyon last week.
Chelsea are prepared to offer Didier Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko in part exchange, but money will be no object this summer. The club are determined to make three 'mind-blowing' signings.
Scolari approved the approaches during his meeting with Kenyon but the future of others will not be clear until he takes up the manager's post on July 1.

Chelsea boss Scolari draws up £100M all-star shopping list

New Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari is expected to splash out over £100 million on new players this summer.
Scolari will be handed a massive £108million transfer budget to transform Chelsea into the world's greatest football team.
The Brazilian, who starts his £6million-a-year job at Stamford Bridge on 1 July, has already begun drawing up a shopping list of the game's top stars.
Backed by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's millions, Scolari looks certain to move for £10m-rated Barcelona star Deco, who has thrived during his time under the Portugal coach.
Other targets are likely to include Valencia's David Villa at £32m, AC Milan's Kaka at £50m and Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o at £16m.
But Scolari will also be focused on keeping Chelsea's top players and will start by convincing defender Ricardo Carvalho to sign a new deal.
Scolari has enjoyed a great relationship with the 30-year-old during his five years with Portugal and a contract worth £100,000-a week is understood to be waiting when he returns from Euro 2008.

Agent admits interest for Chelsea, Arsenal target Robinho

The agent of Real Madrid winger Robinho has confirmed interest from the Premiership.
"That is certain," Wagner Ribeiro said.
"But the decision remains in the hands of Real Madrid because they have a contract with him."
Chelsea and Arsenal have been in contact with Ribeiro about his client's situation.

Chelsea keeper Cech: Scolari great, great, great

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is delighted with the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari as new manager.
"He is a manager with great charisma, great experience, great results, I look forward to working with him," the Czech national goalkeeper said .

"I hope that his (past) results are confirmed with us at Chelsea."

Figo: Chelsea boss Scolari always set for Premiership move

Portuguese legend Luis Figo is convinced Luiz Felipe Scolari was always destined to work in the Premiership.
Figo said of the new Chelsea boss: "It will be very different for him at Chelsea because there is pressure every day and he will be expected to win the championship. It's a huge test but he can make the jump. I know that other English clubs have tried to get Scolari and that shows he is very capable. He will hope the Portuguese players help him to win the respect of the rest of the squad."

Middlesbrough legend Juninho: Scolari will transform Chelsea

Middlesbrough legend Juninho believes Luiz Felipe Scolari will take Chelsea's game to a new level.
Juninho said: "I always said when I played in the Premier League that if you mixed Brazilian style with the English way of playing then you have the best of both worlds.
"Scolari knows that and he is the ideal man for Chelsea. Everybody will have to help each other on the field and work together.
"He believes in the importance of his group of players being like a family if they are to be successful and he knows how to deal with the big names. When he has to shout he is not afraid to do it, but I think the players understand what he wants from them. As for the pressure at Chelsea I have no doubt Scolari can cope."

Capello delighted Scolari landed Chelsea job

England boss Fabio Capello is delighted that Luiz Felipe Scolari has taken the Chelsea job.
Capello is a old friend of Scolari and rates him as one of the world's best coaches.
The Italian said: "I like Scolari. I know him very well because I met him a lot in Italy when I was Roma manager as we had a lot of Brazilian players in the team.
"He is a good manager."'

Chelsea battle Barcelona for £32M Villa

Chelsea are ready for a mega bucks auction with Barcelona for Valencia ace David Villa.
Valencia will be looking for bids upwards of £32m. Barcelona have already lodged their interest - as have the Blues.
Valencia director Juan Sanchez insists the more goals Villa scores at Euro 2008, the higher his price will be.
Sanchez said: "He has a contract and is having a great Euro.
"We are calm and we hope he will continue to score many goals. You never know what will happen if we get offers. It's not a question of putting a price on him. What will come in the future will be assessed then."'
Villa, 26, insists he is only thinking about Spain's Euro 2008 bid.
He said: "I'm not going to speak about my future until after the Championships."'
Barcelona will use the money from the sale of Samuel Eto'o to fund any Villa deal. AC Milan and Inter are favourites to land the Cameroon hitman.

Chelsea hand Scolari £100M warchest

Chelsea's appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari as new manager has European clubs rattled.
Scolari was named Chelsea's new boss last night - and immediately given a whopping £100million to spend.
The Portugal coach starts a three-year Blues deal on July 1, worth £5m a year.
And he will be able to buy the top players on the planet thanks to a bulging transfer war chest.

Scolari hints at Deco being first Chelsea signing

Luiz Felipe Scolari has hinted he's ready to make Barcelona midfielder Deco his first signing as new Chelsea manager.
Scolari said: "What happened at Barcelona last season was not Deco's fault.
"There is only one other player like him at Euro 2008 - and that is Holland's Wesley Sneijder.
"Deco's an individual who dares. He's ready to take risks and do things differently."

Carvalho to be handed £90,000-a-week Chelsea deal

Ricardo Carvalho is set to win a bumper pay-rise at Chelsea.
One of the first actions from new Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari will be to hand Carvalho a new £90,000-a-week deal.

Chelsea announce Scolari as new manager

Chelsea have announced Luiz Felipe Scolari will become their new manager after Euro2008.
Scolari, who is currently in charge of the Portuguese side at Euro 2008, will take over at Stamford Bridge on 1 July.
"Felipe has great qualities. He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level," Chelsea said in a statement.
Carlo Ancelotti, Mark Hughes and Roberto Mancini had also been linked with the job.
Chelsea added: "He gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours. He was the outstanding choice.
"Out of respect for his current role and to ensure minimum disruption to this work there will be no further comment from Chelsea nor from Felipe about his new role until his employment with us commences."

Agent admits no quick exit for Chelsea's Boulahrouz

The agent of Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz says Olympique Marseille will have to wait to sign the Dutchman.
Roger Linse said: "There is indeed interest from a French club. But I arranged with Khalid that we will sit around the table to speak about all the options no sooner than after Euro 2008.
"In the previous days more clubs have informed me about their interest in Khalid. But I will not bother Khalid at the moment with all that."

Abramovich demands Chelsea get tough with Man Utd

Chelsea have Manchester United in their sights next season.
The 'softly-softly' approach of last term is out the window as Chelsea seek to wrestle the title back from Old Trafford.
Roman Abramovich expected Chelsea to dominate the League and the new man will be under instructions to win the title back from Manchester United in his first season.
Sources at Stamford Bridge believe Avram Grant's deference to Sir Alex Ferguson and United worked against Chelsea and was a sign of weakness.
Grant consistently claimed Ferguson was one of the game's great managers and one of his other favourite lines was the day he spent watching United train when he was younger.
That approach did not meet with the approval of his paymasters and Abramovich wants a strong manager to stand up to Ferguson on and off the pitch. That man is expected to be Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Scolari drops big Chelsea hint

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has dropped a clear hint he will join Chelsea after Euro2008.
He said: "For the atmosphere, for the love of Portugal, it will be difficult to leave, but I'm a professional and I have lived everywhere in the world. I am ready to live in a different country.
"I have a contract with the Portuguese Federation and I will fulfil that. Afterwards, we will see what happens."
Chelsea's aggressive policy in their search for a new manager changed last weekend and there is a relaxed air at Stamford Bridge.
Kenyon even went on holiday to Italy for a week after concluding negotiations with the man they believe can outdo Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea's Carvalho open to Inter Milan move

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho admits he'd be interested in a move to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.
"I have heard a few comments (about a move to Inter)," he said.
"It's a club matter and I am focused on playing for the national team so we will see after.
"But I would love to be coached by Mourinho again. The majority of the trophies I have won were won with Mourinho.
"At Chelsea, there is a new cycle happening so we will see what happens. I have a contract with Chelsea.
"But you never know - sometimes a challenge is good for a player. I will speak with Peter Kenyon after the tournament."

Deco calm over Chelsea, Inter Milan interest

Barcelona midfielder Deco insists he has nothing to prove to Chelsea or Inter Milan at Euro2008.
Deco is considering offers from both clubs and said: "I do not have to prove anything to anyone.
"I'm here to play for myself and for Portugal. My future is not defined at the moment. It's not right for me to comment. I know Mourinho is a great trainer. He won a lot with Porto and he won a lot for Chelsea, and for sure he will win a lot with Inter."

Chelsea's Carvalho tells Ronaldo: Sometimes a new challenge is good

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has steered clear of transfer talk over his Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Carvalho said of the Manchester United star: "He has to make his decision.
"Sometimes a new challenge is good but he has to make that decision. I can't say much about this."

Zico in Chelsea frame after Fenerbahce exit

Zico has become a major contender to be named the new Chelsea manager after leaving Fenerbahce.
The Brazilian legend was rumoured to be a target of Manchester City before they appointed Mark Hughes last week.
However, Zico's departure from Fenerbahce, following the failure to agree a new deal with the Turkish outfit, has now seen the odds on him filling the Stamford Bridge hot-seat slashed.
"We've parted ways with Zico," Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim said when asked about the club's managerial position.
Chelsea are continuing to be linked with Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, despite the Italian ruling out a move to England last week.
And Abramovich - who is also rumoured to be eyeing the likes of Guus Hiddink, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Luciano Spalletti - could consider a move for Zico if he is unable to secure his No.1 target.
Zico, who joined Fenerbahce in July 2006, led the Istanbul club to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals last season, where they lost to Chelsea.

Chelsea encouraged after approach for Liverpool's Torres

Chelsea are preparing a shock bid for Liverpool ace Fernando Torres.
Chelsea have been encouraged by Liverpool not rejecting out of hand their initial approach for Torres.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich is determined to shake-up his squad this summer - which will include a 'galacticos' signing.

Chelsea chief Kenyon in Kaka talks with AC Milan

Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon has asked AC Milan about a price for Kaka.
Kenyon is in negotiations with Milan about former world player of the year Kaka.
Although Kaka signed a contract at the San Siro earlier this year and claimed that he wanted to be immortalised' in the same way as Paolo Maldini, Milan's failure to qualify for the Champions League has altered his position.
Milan are ready to sign Didier Drogba, and the Kaka deal could be linked to that. Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said: "Chelsea have authorised us to begin negotiations with Drogba. Unfortunately, Chelsea will not sell Shevchenko."

Deco: It's between Chelsea and Inter Milan

Barcelona ace Deco has confirmed he's to decide between Chelsea and Barcelona over his next move.
"At this moment I have only two possibilities - Chelsea or Inter," said the Barcelona man .

"I have not sealed a deal with either of them, though. I have not yet decided upon my future, as I have to meet with me agent and see what is best for me.
"I certainly will not go to a club that I don't like or that won't allow me to win trophies, as that is my objective

Scolari favourite as Chelsea secure new coach

Chelsea have secured an agreement with their new coach.
All indicators suggest Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is the man who will fill the Blues hotseat.
Details of the contract were finalised last week in one of the best-kept secrets in football history.
Scolari has long been the favourite to succeed Avram Grant and the fact that an announcement has not yet been made points to the Portugal manager.

Capello urges Chelsea's Lampard to take Inter option

England boss Fabio Capello has urged Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard to make the move to Inter Milan.
"I don't know if Lampard will go to Inter," said England's Italian coach. "It is up to him to decide. But for every new experience you are richer."