Chelsea Prepare £30m Offer For Liverpool Star Fernando Torres

Chelsea is set to open the bidding for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres by offering the Reds £30 million, according to a report from The Daily Star.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich has taken a strong personal interest in the deal, the report claims, and is currently in South Africa where he plans to attend Sunday's World Cup final.

The Russian was also at Spain's semi-final victory over Germany, when Torres played the concluding nine minutes of the game after coming on as a substitute.

The Spaniard has insisted that he will not discuss his future until after the World Cup, when new Reds boss Roy Hodgson has indicated that he will have serious discussions with the player about whether or not his future lies at Anfield.

Chelsea In Danger Of Losing Battle With Bayern Munich For Ajax Star Gregory Van Der Wiel

Chelsea could lose out on Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel as Bayern Munich have swooped for the Netherlands World Cup right-back.

The Bavarian giants and Ajax have agreed to a £14 million deal for the 22-year-old and Bayern hopes to finalise the deal before the World Cup final on Sunday, according to The Sun.

Van der Wiel will not negotiate with the Bundesliga champions as he is concentrating on playing in the final against Spain.

However, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti will have to offer Ajax a better deal if he wants to acquire one of football’s hottest prospects this summer.

The first-choice right-back has appeared in four matches for the Netherlands in South Africa and his great form on the international and domestic level has piqued the interest of the Premier League champions.

Redknapp Confirms Levy And Joe Cole Talks

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has not given up on signing Joe Cole with the White Hart Lane chief hopeful his Chairman can beat North London rivals Arsenal and Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool to the former Chelsea midfielder’s signature.

Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly Spurs main contenders for Cole’s signature, with Redknapp thought to have the edge in the race for Cole having given him his big break at West Ham United as a schoolboy.

Redknapp told talkSPORT radio station: “We’re interested in Joe [Cole). I know Daniel [Levy, Spurs chairman] was talking to his people and we’re interested. If the chairman can pull a deal off I’d love to have him at Tottenham.

“But it all comes down to if we can do a deal. I don’t get involved in the financial side; the chairman can do that with Joe’s people. Hopefully there is a deal that can be done because we would love him at White Hart Lane.”

Manchester City Looking To Make Stunning £20 Million Swoop For Chelsea Hitman Didier Drogba

Manchester City are preparing a £20 million bid for Chelsea star striker Didier Drogba.

City manager Roberto Mancini has been a big fan of the Ivory Coast international and hopes to bring him to the Eastlands club, according to The Sun.

Drogba won the Premier League’s Golden Boot after scoring 29 league goals for the Blues last season, helping lead Chelsea to the Premier League and FA Cup titles.

The Ivorian striker would sign a three year deal worth £18 million is he made the move to City, who have already spent £60 million to secure the services of David Silva, Jerome Boateng and Yaya Toure this summer.

The 32-year-old still has two years remaining on his current Chelsea deal and would form arguably the best strike partnership in the world if he paired with City and Argentina star Carlos Tevez.

Towering Centre-Half Drops Exit Hint As European Juggernauts Circle

Porto stalwart Bruno Alves has put a host of his Premier League suitors on red alert by suggesting he would like to leave Portuguese football. The towering centre-half has been coveted by some of the biggest clubs on the continent, most notably Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid, with Manchester City also retaining an interest in the man widely tipped to be named Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor for the Portuguese captaincy.

The 28-year-old is regarded as one of the finest centre-halves in Europe, and although Portugal flattered to deceive on occasions during the World Cup finals, Alves emerged with his reputation very much intact. The defender is thought to have a €35 million buyout clause which seemingly deterred Manchester United and Chelsea from following up their alleged interest back in January, but it appears he may now be ready to engineer a move to a big European club this summer.

Capped 35 times by Portugal, Alves has shone for FC Porto for the last four years having graduated from their B team via three loan spells, most notably at AEK Athens, but now the player has hinted his ready to cut his teeth in one of the major leagues in Europe.

Alves told O Jogo: "I have a permanent contract, but I am ambitious,"

"I hope for a European club."

The Portuguese press suggests Manchester City may be ready to make a lucrative offer to FC Porto in order to lure the talented defender to England, but claim Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer as well. Real Madrid have been strongly linked with Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic but O Jogo intimate that the self-proclaimed 'Special One' may decide that Alves is more viable alternative to the Old Trafford stalwart.

Chelsea's Ashley Cole The Only Englishman In David Beckham's Team Of World Cup 2010

David Beckham has named a team of players he believes have made the biggest impact at this World Cup, and has included only one Englishman.

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole is the only member of the Three Lions squad to have made Beckham's cut, after Fabio Capello's squad crashed out to Germany in the second round.

Beckham was with the squad as part of the backroom team, but it is predominantly Germans and Spaniards who caught the LA Galaxy midfielder's eye.

"I also enjoyed watching Portugal's Fabio Coentrao, but Ashley for me is the best left-back in the world and probably England's star performer in South Africa," Beckham told The Sun.

"He never stops running and, while he is a very good defender, he loves to attack opposing full-backs."

Another Premier League defender makes it into Beckham's back four in the shape of Sunderland centre-half John Mensah, a star of Ghana's march to the quarter-finals.

"The Ghana captain was very solid as they progressed through the tournament and were unlucky in their quarter-final with Uruguay," Beckham explained.

"The rugged defender, on loan at Sunderland last season, leads by example and is not afraid to put his body on the line for his team."

Beckham also hailed the displays of his former Manchester United team-mate Diego Forlan, in many people's eyes the striker of the tournament so far.

"A striker who has got better and better over the years," said Beckham of the Uruguayan.

"I was lucky to play with Diego at Manchester United and we could all see what a talented player he was. Now he has supreme confidence.

"With four goals and several assists, he's had a great tournament."

Forlan has been partnered in attack in Beckham's team with David Villa, the former England captain having been highly impressed by the striker's all-round attacking talent.

"With five goals taking him joint top of the scoring charts so far, he has proven he is one of the world's best finishers," he added.

"He can play off either foot and is devastating in front of goal. It's frightening that he is joining what is already a great Barcelona team."

Ancelotti: French Pair Anelka & Malouda Crucial To Double Glory

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti says French pair Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda were big influences on last season's Double.

Ancelotti says the willingness of both players to take on different roles boosted their prospects.

"After 10 to 15 games, the opponents knew how to play against the Christmas tree and so the space in the middle of the pitch was very closed," Ancelotti told Chelsea magazine. "So from this moment we started to use wingers instead.

"We had the possibility to change a lot of players into different positions on the pitch so we made this our advantage.

"A surprise for me was Anelka in the role he played from the beginning until we changed the system in January," he adds. "He did very well alongside Drogba, when he did a different role, not just striker, and then he also did a good job as a striker when Didier was at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Also Malouda was a surprise for me because after starting well he played with continuity in different positions - he played very well for all the season. For both players it was their versatility above all that surprised me, that they could perform different positions for the team."

Chelsea Keeper Petr Cech Feeling Fresh And Rested Ahead Of New Season

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is looking forward to the new season after a summer spent in part helping youngsters at the Petr Cech Football Academy back in the the Czech Republic.

Cech is heading into his seventh season at Stamford Bridge feeling refreshed after a long, arduous but ultimately successful campaign last time around.

"I played 50 games last season including internationals so it was a long season and as well it was a lot of pressure because the last games we had to win all of them with no mistakes," he told the Blues' official website.

"That is always hard. I was really happy with the way we finished the season of course but as well I was very happy that the season was over.

"Of course I was disappointed not to be qualified for the World Cup but it was good to have a longer break. I am fresh and rested so this is what I needed.

"Almost I don't believe it," he admits when reflecting that he has been at Chelsea since 2004.

"I am not one of the oldest by age but I am one of the longest-serving players and when I joined Chelsea it was my target to stay as long as I can in one of the best teams in the world.

"We have won quite a few trophies during that time and this is one of the most important things. I hope that the next season will be the most successful again."

The work with the academy back in his homeland has proved rewarding for Cech, but he is not sure that it means he will be looking at a career in coaching when he retires from playing.

"[It's] too early to say. Only time will tell," the 28-year-old mused.

"Now I might think I'm going to be coach but maybe three years later it's not what I want. Only time will tell.

"But the idea of working with the kids, this is the vision I have got because the kids will be the future of football. If you teach them and prepare them and they learn how to play and have good habits - then the base will grow and you have a bigger chance to have good players and this is the aim.

"This is just the start. It is a good start and it gives us a lot of pleasure because it is open to the public and the people really appreciate it, but once I stop playing I will have time to make something deeper."