Ancelotti Leads Mancini In Race For Valencia Star David Silva

So after three years of Valencia pair David Silva and David Villa being heavily linked with moves away from the financially stricken club, it seems that the La Liga side may end up losing both stars within the same summer. It seems price is the main obstacle but in today’s transfer market the asking price of £33m is not wildly outrageous and let’s face it both Chelsea and Manchester City can afford to pay the sum given their sugar daddy owners.

The 24 year old has just finished his fourth season in the Mestalla first team and had arguably his best season so far last term when he helped Valencia to third spot in La Liga scoring eight times and assisting in nine other finishes. The adaptable attacker is a fixture in the Spanish international side that has beaten all before them in recent years, albeit not yesterday against Switzerland, so he would clearly be a player who would cost a decent chunk of change.

Given that Chelsea have Champions League football to offer and that Ancelotti has just allowed Joe Cole and Michael Ballack to run out their contracts it seems a move to west London would be most likely and it would be a transfer that would help reverse the ageing nature of the Blues squad.

Chelsea’s Michael Essien To Attend Ghana Game Against Australia

Ghana and Chelsea midfield general Michael Essien is expected to be in the stands for the Ghana-Australia game at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg tomorrow.

The influential midfielder is nursing a protracted knee injury which he aggravated at the African Nations Cup in January. The Stamford Bridge man will be at the stadium to offer his support to the Black Stars in their second Group D game. A victory would see Ghana virtually clinch a second round spot after their opening victory over Serbia.

"He [Essien] is one of the key senior players in the team," team spokesman Randy Abbey said.

"We are expecting him to be there on Saturday to support his colleagues."

Essien took a similar position in Angola 2010 during Ghana’s last group game against the Stallions of Burkina Faso.

Mata Reveals English Interest

Juan Mata has revealed that he would be open to a Premier League move should the opportunity arise.

The Spain international is hot property at the moment, having dazzled for Valencia over recent years.

At just 22 years of age it is expected that Los Che will struggle to retain his services for long, especially as they continue to struggle under the weight of financial upheaval.

Unsurprisingly, a switch to England has been touted, with the youngster seemingly tailor-made for the Premier League.

A tricky winger with a keen eye for goal, any number of clubs would be happy to have him within their ranks.

Mata insists he will not be pushing for an imminent transfer, as he is happy at Mestalla, but accepts the issue may be taken out of his hands.

Should Valencia decide that the time is right to cash in, Mata admits he would relish the chance to try his luck at any of England's so-called 'Big Four'.

"I don't know if I'll be sold, it depends on the economic situation of the club, which right now isn't so good," he told FourFourTwo.

"In the summer we have to raise a lot of money, and there is a possibility that they may have to sell players.

"In Spain they show many Premier League games on TV and it is an inspirational league.

"Maybe I would like to play in the Premier League. At the moment I'm here, I love living in Valencia and playing in the Spanish league, but in England the league is also top class and there are many big teams. Who knows?

"I admire Arsenal and the philosophy that the young players have. Liverpool, with their Spanish players - they also have an incredible squad. And Manchester United and Chelsea are teams that are very big, like Real Madrid and Barcelona, with money and incredible players."

Bayern Munich Warn Chelsea Off £20m-rated 'Crown Jewel' Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich have warned Chelsea they have no intention of selling £20 million-rated "crown jewel" Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The 25-year old has emerged as a key target for manager Carlo Ancelotti after a stellar season for the Bavarians since switching to central midfield.

With the youth product set to start for World Cup 2010 contenders Germany, a chase could begin to secure his signature.

Speaking to the press, Bayern chief Christian Nerlinger shot down any talk of a transfer.

"Schweinsteiger is among our crown jewels," Nerlinger revealed.

Kalas To Make Blues Move

Chelsea are reported to have snapped up teenage centre-back Tomas Kalas from Sigma Olomouc.

The Blues are just one of a number of clubs to have been tracking the 17-year-old stopper, and are believed to have won the race for his signature.

Juventus, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich have all expressed an interest in the promising Czech over recent weeks, while Bayer Leverkusen thought they had reached an agreement at one stage.

However, the situation has developed further since then, with Arsenal and Chelsea having joined the hunt.

Arsene Wenger is reported to have spoken to Kalas personally in effort to tempt him to Emirates Stadium, with their reputation for nurturing young talent well known.

It appears, though, as if the Gunners have been pipped by their Premier League rivals.

Reports in the Czech Republic claim Chelsea have paid £5million to land the youngster, but are not prepared to publicly announce the signing just yet.

That has forced Sigma to also play their cards close to chest and refrain from naming the club involving.

They have, however, admitted that a deal has been struck and that the player is on his way.

"A spell at a top European club for Tomas Kala was successfully arranged today," read a statement on the club's official website.

Kalas' agent has also admitted to an agreement being reached, but has again stopped short of announcing the identity of his new employers.

"We cannot confirm the club's name yet," Pavel Zika told sport.cz.

"Negotiations were very difficult and I am glad they are behind us now, especially for the good of the player."

It is believed that Kalas, who has made only one senior appearance in the Czech top flight, will return to Sigma on loan for 12 months before moving to England full-time.

Essien Signs 'Important Contract'

Michael Essien hailed "one of the most important contracts of my career" after signing a two-year extension to his Chelsea FC deal that keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2015.

Ghanaian international midfielder Michael Essien has put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension that ties him to Chelsea FC until 2015.

Essien arrived at Stamford Bridge from Olympique Lyonnais in 2005 and has since made 116 Premier League appearances, but has not played for his club this year because of a torn hamstring. The 27-year-old has subsequently been ruled out of his country's FIFA World Cup campaign but says he is delighted Chelsea have shown "very big confidence and interest in me".

He added: "I am looking forward to coming back and enjoying my football and winning more trophies with the club. That is why I am here. I think it is one of the most important contracts in my career." Chelsea won both the Premier League and FA Cup this season and will start next term in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Fans' Forum Search For Family Stand Season Ticket Holder

Chelsea is looking for a season ticket holder who sits in the family stand to join the Fans' Forum for the next two seasons.

Now coming to the end of its eighth year, the Fans' Forum has recently renewed its members but still have one place to fill.

You will meet four times per season, meetings take place at Stamford Bridge on home matchdays, and representatives are expected to attend every session which normally happen before kick off.

One of the aims of the Forum is to establish a dialogue between the club and fans and to develop a better understanding of issues that affect supporters.

To reflect the diverse nature of Chelsea's support, representatives are drawn from a variety of categories, including season ticket holders, club members and others.

This is why the Forum is now searching for a fan who sits in the family stand, so that supporters in this area can get a voice

Le Saux Backing England's Chances & Chelsea Health Day

Graeme Le Saux took time away from watching the World Cup to view one of Chelsea's men's health projects in action this week, and is urging fans to visit a special event at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The former Chelsea and England star, who is an ambassador for the club, gave the Official Chelsea Website a confident prediction for today's big match in South Africa but before that, he joined in with a football tournament in an estate local to our stadium.

It was part of Football in the Community's health programmes that range from actively engaging older men in football schemes to providing walk-in centres for health check-ups on match days

Men in Chelsea FC's local area are often reluctant to visit doctors and access health services and as a result some suffer from higher than average levels of obesity, smoking and drink-related illnesses, plus other preventable health problems.

Schemes such as the one Le Saux visited provide exercise and ongoing health MOTs where participants can have blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) checked and receive information about giving up smoking and cutting down on drinking. The programme can also refer people with depression and other mental health issues onto the relevant health professionals.

'Lifestyle has a huge influence on health and I had to change my lifestyle for my sport,' Le Saux told Chelseafc.com.

'But when you have different pressures on you it can make it a lot harder to think about it. It is very easy to eat things that are not good for you and these kind of projects are fantastic because you are combining sport and relating it to the professional side of the game, but equally you are involving healthy eating and healthy lifestyle.

'I am more aware of risks now because I am not paid to keep fit and as you get older it can be harder to resist some things, but I know what the consequences are.'

As someone who was subject to careful health screening during his playing days, Le Saux hopes Chelsea fans will make use of the ongoing projects, including our Football in the Community department's first Men's Health Day on Sunday to support Men's Health Week.

The event will take place at Stamford Bridge in the Great Hall situated in the West Stand from 12 noon to 5pm.

Summary Of A Season: Frank Lampard

With 27 goals from central midfield and countless assists, it seems Frank Lampard is getting better with age.

If you factor in the England man's extraordinary resistance to injury and his ability not to earn one booking in the entire campaign it is easy to see why many think it is he that makes the Blues tick.

His season began as it would continue against Manchester United at Wembley, where he contributed a goal, helped set up the other, and then buried a penalty in the shootout.

Questions were raised over his impact in games, but having returned to a deeper position from the top of the diamond, where he had been restricted, his influence grew once more.

He netted another at Sunderland as we turned around a half-time deficit, and helped create seven in as many league games that followed, despite not scoring himself.

The 31-year-old actually went 10 without a goal before four in three arrived in October, helping send Atletico back to Madrid empty-handed as we began to score freely.

It was Frank's free-kick that John Terry nodded in against United at Stamford Bridge in November before a thigh injury on England duty while jogging ruled him out of two games. He returned to contribute in a big 3-0 win away at Arsenal before a rare dead-ball error - his late penalty at Manchester City saved by Shay Given.

In a difficult Christmas period it was two successful spot kicks that dug us out of trouble against Portsmouth and West Ham, the latter having to be taken three times at his old home ground, requiring nerves of steel.

Doubles against Sunderland and Birmingham were followed by six quieter games, including disappointment at Inter, which would be compounded in the second leg when for once the game passed him by.

Lampard's goal, and cross for Terry, helped us into the FA Cup semis, and he bounced back from European disappointment by banging in four against Aston Villa.

The feat, the second time he had achieved it, took him over the 150-goal mark for Chelsea, over 100 in the Premier League, and beyond Roy Bentley to become our third-highest scorer of all time.

After converting another against Villa at Wembley to book a place in the Cup Final, the focus shifted to league football for the next five games, and it was here where Frank really delivered.

After scraping past Bolton it was he who pulled a late goal back at Spurs before scoring a beauty against Stoke, diverting Sam Hutchinson's deep cross back across goal and in, his second of the game.

A week later at Anfield there were major celebrations as he swept home Nicolas Anelka's square ball to confirm a massive victory.

A win over Wigan would provide his third Premier League medal, and he would not be denied.

Winning and taking a penalty (after a lengthy debate with Didier Drogba) he put us two to the good as we ran riot, setting up an historic Double should we beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final.

Having scored the winner there against Everton a year before, he clearly fancied it again, launching a 30-yard drive against the post inside the first 10 minutes as we laid siege to the Pompey goal.

It was a Drogba free-kick that broke the deadlock though, and even though Frank's final contribution was to drag a penalty wide at the death, he was there in the Royal Box to lift the trophy alongside John Terry.

It will be hard to match the outstanding exploits of 2009/10, but Chelsea's most capped international has the strength of mind and consistency to succeed. If we are as free-scoring next season, it will be in no small part down to Frank.