Chelsea Ready To Make €22 Milllion Offer For Sampdoria Striker Giampaolo Pazzini

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is ready to make a €22 million swoop for Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini, but may find his offer is €78m short of expectations.

Pioneers when it comes to big spending, Chelsea will need a bulldozer to knock down Sampdoria's €100m valuation of the Italy international.

Il Corriere dello Sport reports the Blucerchiati have already rejected a substantial offer from Juventus. Two weeks ago Samp president Riccardo Garrone said he wouldn't even sell his player for €100m.

That was viewed as an unrealistic valuation, and a clear attempt at scaremongering the interested clubs.

Ancelotti will not be put off though. He is confident €22m will be the tip of the iceberg for Sampdoria and enough to defrost talks and reignite a deal.

Chelsea Still Looking To Make A Move For Injured Liverpool Star Fernando Torres

Chelsea are still interested in a move for Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres despite the fact that a groin tear suffered in the World Cup final could keep him out for the start of the Premier League season.

Torres will be checked out by Spain’s medical team in Madrid on Tuesday, but it is expected that he will miss the beginning of the season after suffering his third major injury in less than a year.

Despite the injury problems Chelsea is still looking to bid for the 26-year-old and hope to take advantage of the doubts about his future at Liverpool to complete a deal for the Spaniard, according to The Mirror.

The World Cup winner’s knee operations in January and April cost him a huge chunk of time this season, which led to a disappointing tournament in South Africa in which Torres did not score a goal.

Barcelona are also interested in Torres, but Manchester City have given up their pursuit of the Reds star as Chelsea and the Catalan giants can offer Champions League football next season, something that the Eastlands club and Liverpool cannot.

Chelsea Boss Carlo Ancelotti Wants To Coach Inter's Mario Balotelli

Carlo Ancelotti is keen to bring Inter Milan bad boy Mario Balotelli to Chelsea, suggesting the temperamental striker would flourish in the Premier League.

The 19-year-old is reportedly heading out of the San Siro door with his agent Mino Raiola confirming that Manchester United and Manchester City are keen on his signature.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti reckons the youngster would excel at Old Trafford, but added that he would like to have a go at curbing his famously hot temper.

Asked by Sky Sport24 if he would like to coach Balotelli, he responded: "Yes."

"They [United] are a team with great tradition, which helps that type of player. Here, the environment is different and I think a player with his character could find it better than in Italy.

"It's difficult to find a player so young with his quality, and England has a lack of players at that level."

The Italian also cooled rumours of a bid for Real Madrid midfielder Kaka, saying: "There is no chance of him coming here because he's a Real Madrid player.

"I don't think Real are willing to put him on the market - they bought him last year and therefore this is fantasy. If Real say, 'We want to sell Kaka', it could be the case that Chelsea are interested."

Chelsea Could Ask FIFA To Ban Adrian Mutu

The agent of Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu has said that Chelsea could petition FIFA to slap a ban on the Romanian striker because of the €17 million he owes the club.

Mutu has already been suspended for nine months by the Italian National Olympic Committee due to testing positive for a banned substance. He has been ordered to pay €17 million to the Premier League giants. However, the 31-year-old is unable to garner that much money.

SkySport24 now quotes Victor Becali as saying that Chelsea has asked FIFA to ban Mutu until his debt is paid in full. Becali is reportedly trying to negotiate with Chelsea to bring this saga to a close.

Reports had linked Mutu with a move away from Florence but it now appears that the 31-year-old will remain with the Tuscan outfit if Chelsea does indeed ask FIFA to ban Mutu.

Chelsea See Ajax Striker Luis Suarez As Alternative If Fernando Torres Chase Fails

Chelsea will swoop for controversial Uruguay World Cup 2010 striker Luis Suarez if they fail to force through Fernando Torres' switch from Liverpool, according to The People.

Suarez, 23, followed a sensational 49-goal domestic season with Ajax with three goals in South Africa.

Despite hitting the headlines for his goal-line handball in the quarter-final victory against Ghana, his displays impressed manager Carlo Ancelotti and he could be be set to make a bid if his pursuit of Torres is unsuccessful.

Liverpool superstar Torres remains his main target but his injury in the World Cup final, loyalty to the Reds and extremely high price-tag could all prove to be prohibitive.

Suarez would be available for half the £50 million Chelsea are prepared to pay for the Spaniard and has recently expressed a desire to come to the Premier League this summer.

Didier Drogba Called Anderlecht Wonderkid Romelu Lukaku About Chelsea Move

Didier Drogba has spoken to rising Anderlecht star Romelu Lukaku about a move to Chelsea, according to a Belgium Football Association spokesman.

Lukaku, 17, burst onto the scene last season and was top scorer in the Jupiler Pro League with 15 goals in 25 appearances.

His potential was also confirmed after he grabbed a brace in the 3-1 Europa League victory against Ajax.

A switch to the Stamford Bridge outfit has been mooted for several years, though they can expect to face competition from AC Milan, Real Madrid and Arsenal.

Speaking to reporters, Belgian FA spokesman Nicolas Cornu divulged a conversation he had with Drogba's about Lukaku.

"Yes, I've even called him," Drogba is reported to have said.

"I got his phone number from Vincent Kompany.

"I told him - you have to sign for Chelsea."

Priming For Place

Preparations for our first pre-season game of the summer continued to gather pace at Cobham on Monday, while John Terry briefly dropped in on the squad.

The England defender visited the training ground for a short time to go through some light exercises and meet up with team-mates old and new in Franco Di Santo and Yossi Benayoun, before departing for a family holiday. He is due to report back at Cobham along with our other World Cup representatives later in July.

Meanwhile on the training pitches it was a first day of training without at least a little sunshine, instead Carlo Ancelotti and his men were treated to a rather refreshing downpour after some hot and humid sessions over the past week.

Of course the focus is still more on fitness than football, but once again the sessions took on a technical element as the lads work towards readiness for the long season ahead. Our first action of the campaign is almost upon us, a pre-season friendly away at Championship side Crystal Palace on Saturday.

McEachran Looking Ahead

An Under 17 European champion, Josh McEachran is hoping training with the first team squad will stand him in good stead for the season ahead.

Josh McEachran was a part of the England Under 17 squad that lifted the European Championship in Liechtenstein at the back end of May, a success that followed on from his key role in our FA Youth Cup success last season.

An attack-minded midfielder, the Chelsea man was a central figure in England's success en route to the Final, a 2-1 win over Spain, watched by several members of the Spanish senior squad, including Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos.

'The European Championships was great, England hadn't won a youth tournament since 1993, so that was a good feeling,' said the Oxford-born player.

'Before the match, they put up the team sheet from that game and it was the likes of Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, so there was a lot of pressure on us but we managed to win.

'When we were singing the national anthem we saw the Spain players all come into the stadium, so it was a little nerve-wracking playing in front of them but it was a good experience all the same. They deserved to win the World Cup, I thought they were the best team overall.'

Now with the international calendar completed, the focus returns to club football, with a little over a month to run until the beginning of the Premier League season, but plenty of pre-season matches to look forward to.

Involvement in first team affairs on the training pitches has left the second-year scholar, who will largely be a part of the reserve team squad this season, hopeful for match action.

'Since I have been back I've been training with the first team which is really good, and hopefully I can go on from here,' said McEachran, who spent his summer break on holiday with family.

'The atmosphere here has been friendly, everyone has been nice to me and speaking to me, and everybody is happy to be back at Cobham.

'I thought it would be a lot harder but it's been alright so far, the fitness has been fine and I hope I can be involved in pre-season. The game against Crystal Palace is coming up on Saturday, and hopefully I can be involved with that, and then this season I really want to make my debut.'

Having seen fellow Academy men Gael Kakuta, Jeffrey Bruma, Fabio Borini and Patrick van Aanholt all make their first appearances for the club last season, there is no reason why McEachran cannot be next.