Blues Deal For Lalkovic

Slovakian youngster Milan Lalkovic has signed a three-year professional deal with Chelsea.

The 17-year-old forward joined the Blues in 2007 and has come up through the youth academy at Stamford Bridge.

Lalkovic is focused on breaking into the Chelsea first team and hopes to follow the example of compatriot Miroslav Stoch, who spent four years with the London club.

"I signed the contract in the facilities of the first team and was accompanied there by my father and my agent," said Lalkovic.

"It is a fantastic feeling, a dream come true, and I have been dreaming of this moment ever since I came to Chelsea.

"With the help of my family, agent and friends I have achieved that. Now I must make the most difficult step - to get into the first team.

"In the upcoming season my aim is to play as much as possible for the reserve team, but also for the youth team in which I want to be one of the leaders and contribute to a win in the FA Youth Cup.

"I want to score on a regular basis and work hard on myself. I am following Miroslav Stoch's footsteps and hope that I will do as good as he has."

Fluminense President Confirms Terms Have Been Agreed With Chelsea Midfielder Deco

Fluminense have revealed that Deco has agreed terms with them as the final details of his move back to Brazil from Chelsea are resolved.

The 32-year-old stated recently that he wanted to return to the land of his birth and was about to negotiate a release from his contract with Chelsea, whom he joined in 2008 on a three-year contract.

The playmaker now appears set for an imminent return to South America after spending the last 13 years of his career in Europe, where he won international recognition with Portugal.

"As Deco himself said, the deal is well under way," Celso Barros, the president of the group which owns Fluminense, informed the press.

"It depends only on him being released by Chelsea and passing the medical tests, because the salary and length of contract have already been agreed.

"We will not talk this Wednesday, but in principle Deco will go to London to try to expedite his release with Chelsea. That done, he has asked Fluminense for at least a week to be with his children in Brazil and then he will report for medical tests and to start training."

Mesut Ozil To Spark Manchester United And Chelsea Battle After World Cup

Mesut Ozil is set to be inundated with offers from some of the Premier League's biggest clubs after a star turn at the World Cup - but he has said he will only be interested in transfers to Chelsea and Manchester United.

The Germany international, at just 21 years of age, has emerged as the lynchpin of a side who have reached the semi-finals of the world's biggest football tournament.

And he is already talking himself up for a move to either of the Premier League's two largest clubs in the summer - even if he has ruled out any serious discussions until next week.

'When I get back we can think about my future, but for for now it's not something I want to give a lot of thought to,' he told the Sun.

'To the top players the Premier League is attractive but the World Cup is all that matters at the moment.'

Referring to his prospective clubs, if he decides to quit Werder Bremen, he continued: 'You look at what Manchester United and Chelsea have achieved over the last five years and you see it would be easy to be successful at two clubs like that.

'I see what Michael Ballack achieved at Chelsea and the quality of players he played with and the temptation becomes obvious.'

Ozil is thought to have been the subject of a bid from Arsenal already this summer, which was rejected out of hand by Bremen.

However, he has hinted he would be more prepared to make the move to England if the last two Premier League champions came calling.

'Trophies are what matter to me,' he added.

'There are two teams in England always at the top and of course that's attractive.'

Cech Happy With Yossi Deal

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is pleased the club have managed to secure the services of midfielder Yossi Benayoun.

The 30-year-old Israel international moved for a reported £5million from Premier League rivals Liverpool and has joined up with the squad for pre-season training this week.

Benayoun has signed a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge and Cech is looking forward to seeing him in action.

"I think he is a very intelligent player, very technical, different from other types of players we have in the squad," he told Sky Sports News.

"For me he is a very good player so I think he will be very welcome."

Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti opted to sign the Israeli after he decided to release fellow midfielders Michael Ballack and Joe Cole at the end of the campaign.

Cole is a wanted man and speculation surrounding his future is rife, as Tottenham close in on the skilful attacker.

Cech does not believe Benayoun is a direct replacement for Cole, but says there are similarities between the two players.

"Well I was surprised because he's been at Chelsea for many years. I think he's been a great player for us and a great team-mate," he added.

"Yossi's a different player, although he is very technical and has skills like Joe Cole, he has got a different type of movement on the pitch and I think this is maybe what the manager wanted."

On other possible departures out of Chelsea this summer, Cech remarked: "As a player I only hope that if somebody leaves, he will be replaced with a player at least with the same quality or better.

"I think this is important for the group then you know that if someone leaves, their departure will not create any gap between the quality of the last season and the new season."

Chelsea Set To Sign Raul Meireles For £15m

Chelsea are reportedly set to land Porto midfielder Raul Meireles for a sum of £15 million.

The Portugal international had previously been linked with a move away from the Estadio do Dragao, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid believed to be in the chase to sign the 27-year-old.

However, recent reports indicated that the White House had pulled out of the race to sign the former Boavista man, as manager Jose Mourinho was believed to have turned his attention to bringing in Inter and Brazil defender Maicon.

Now The Mirror reports that the west London club is on the verge of signing the player for £15m, and so thwarting interest from their fellow competitors in the Premier League.

The potential move is believed to be due to the exits of Joe Cole and Michael Ballack from Stamford Bridge.

Defoe Wants Cole Arrival

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe admits he would love to see Joe Cole in a Spurs shirt next season.

The 27-year-old forward is keen to see the out-of-contract midfielder make the switch to White Hart Lane this summer, following his release from Chelsea.

Cole, 28, has been linked with a number of clubs, but London-based Tottenham and rivals Arsenal are thought to be leading the chase.

The former West Ham attacker only started 14 Premier League games for Chelsea last term and was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Following England's departure from the World Cup, Cole can now focus on sorting out his domestic future, and Three Lions team-mate Defoe wants him onboard.

"When we were in South Africa (you could see) every day his passion and his drive to want to improve," he told Sky Sports News.

"In training he was sharp and he was strong, he just loves football - that's Joe. So if we could get someone like that at the club it would be good for everyone."

Cole could be persuaded to move to Spurs after they finished fourth last season and qualified for a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Defoe admits the lure of top European football is a great boost for Tottenham, and he cannot wait to get started in the competition.

He added: "That's massive for everyone at the club, I'm really looking forward to that, it's really early in the season.

"We want to have a good run in the league as well, last year was fantastic and I really think we can do it again."

Agent: Torres Could Move To Chelsea Or City

Fernando Torres' agent says he could quit Anfield for Chelsea or Manchester City.

Jose Antonio Martin said: "It is very likely Fernando will stay in the Premier League but I cannot say it will be with Liverpool.

"We are working on his future right now but right now you cannot guarantee he will stay with the club."

Both Chelsea and City are claimed to be readying £70m bids for the 26-year-old, who has failed to fire at the World Cup and admits he is carrying an injury.

New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants to keep the Spaniard but knows a huge offer might be impossible for the debt-laden club to resist, especially for a player who spends so much time on the treatment table.

Academy Takes On Fresh Talents

As Carlo Ancelotti and his squad prepare for the beginning of pre-season training this morning, so too does the Academy and its fresh intake of youngsters.

There is often a 'first day back at school' feel to pre-season training at Cobham. Spare a thought then for the first-year scholars in the Academy, who begin their full-time football education this morning.

Academy manager Neil Bath and his assistant Jim Fraser give us the run-down on the seven lads joining us at our state-of-the-art facility for 2010/11, and one who joins but returns to his former club for the season ahead.

Amin Affane (Date of birth - 21/1/94)

Amin is a left-sided player, but predominantly an attack-minded central midfielder who comes in from Sweden, his former club was Lärje/Angereds IF.

Jamal Blackman (27/10/93)

A goalkeeper from Croydon, Jemal is 6ft 5in already, very agile and joined the Academy fairly late at Under 13. Also involved in the England setup, he played for Chelsea in the Cobham Cup, the international tournament we hosted in August 2008.

Todd Kane (17/9/93)

Toddy has been at the club since he was an Under 8. He comes from Cambridge and is a very quick right-back, comfortable on the ball and tenacious in the tackle. He also played in the youth team last season.

Reece Loudon (2/10/93)

A lad from Stevenage, Reece is a left-midfielder, made his debut at left-back for the reserves last season and joined the Academy at Under 13.

Archange Nkumu (5/11/93)

A boy from North London who joined the Academy at Under 10, Archange can play holding midfield and has played most of the last year as a centre-half for the Under 16s.

Danny Mills Pappoe (30/12/93)

Danny featured many times for the reserves last season and was an important member of the youth squad, though he missed the Youth Cup Final through injury. Hailing from Deptford, he joined us at Under 12 and is a solid centre-half.

Danny Stenning (18/2/94)

A central midfielder from Tulse Hill, Danny joined the Academy at Under 14, and is a tidy little player who doesn't give the ball away a lot, has a great attitude and is strong in the tackle.

Tomas Kalas (15/5/93)

Tomas has signed but will spend the first year on loan at his club, Sigma Olomouc in the Czech Republic.

He is now going into the Under 18s, and made his first-team debut last season. Very athletic and quick, he is a very good one-on-one defender and comfortable on the ball.

We feel there is a lot of potential in the player, and we feel at the minute it is the right time to get him, but it would be good for him to stay there and get first team experience, and we look forward to him joining us next year. Obviously we will stay in touch and he will come across here when appropriate. He is a right-sided centre-half who can play right-back.

My Favourite Games: Daniel Sturridge

In the latest instalment of our players' favourite games, Daniel Sturridge reveals why a memorable clash with Barcelona and Chelsea ranks high up on his list.

Both his favourite game to watch and his favourite match to play in are courtesy of European competitions, namely the Champions League and Uefa Cup, as the striker explains.

Favourite game played:

'When I was at Man City we played Schalke away,' explains Sturridge. 'We went there as underdogs and it was one of those games where we thought it was going to be very difficult.

'We were playing away from home in a big stadium with great fans, it was a closed off arena so it was really humid inside and there was a great atmosphere but we went there and won.

'All the boys were delighted with the victory, there was loads of banter on the way home and everyone went home feeling good about themselves.

'Also, because I started that game, I was really happy to help the team win, it was a really good game. Overall we played better than them and we worked so hard as a team it was great to do that.'

Favourite game watched:

His favourite game to watch was a meeting in Europe's elite tournament and took place in a ground he would one day call home, when Chelsea hosted Barcelona in 2005 for a 4-2 win.

'I came down to watch when Chelsea played Barcelona because my brother is a Chelsea fan.

'It was the one when Ronaldhino scored two goals, the first one was a penalty and the second one was that little flick. I was in the Barcelona end for that game and it was amazing to see those types of players playing live.

'And the atmosphere was amazing, absolutely amazing. I was in the Barcelona end and it was mad being in the Spanish fans but the way the Chelsea fans got behind the boys was brilliant.

'The Barca fans were just going mad; they didn't know Ronaldhino scored when he did, so that was a really crazy game, it has to be up there as one of my favourites.'