Premier League Could Reject Chelsea's £20 Million Deal For Benfica Midfielder Ramires

Premier League officials are investigating Chelsea’s £20 million move for Benfica midfielder Ramires to be certain that transfer rules are not being broken.

League officials have been alerted that notorious agent Kia Joorabchian owns a 50 per cent stake in Ramires, and the Premier League will not allow a deal to happen if there is any possibility of third-party ownership, according to The Sun.

Joorabchian gave Benfica £5 million this past April to buy half of the 23-year-old Brazil international.

Lead representative Pini Zahavi is believed to be one of the investors for Ramires, owning another 30 percent of the player, leaving Benfica with the other 20 percent.

Should the Blues complete their £20 million deal for the Brazilian, Benfica would receive just £4 million, and Premier League rules indicate that the whole sum of the transfer must be paid to the Portuguese club.

"Our rules are very clear on this matter - no element of third-party ownership is allowed in the Premier League,” a Premier League spokesman said.

"If a transfer takes place, it must be a club-to-club arrangement.

"Some other countries still allow the existence of third-party agreements but we will not sanction any deal which does not meet our criteria."

The Premier League’s rules that concern third-party agreements, is a result of the transfer of Carlos Tevez in 2007.

West Ham United did not inform the Premier League that Joorabchian owned Tevez and fellow Argentina international Javier Mascherano, leading to the club being fined £5.5 million and paying £20 million in compensation to Sheffield United.

Chelsea were looking to complete their move for Ramires before a pre-season trip to Germany on Sunday but the possibility of third-party ownership could delay the transfer.

Benfica Reject Chelsea Bid For David Luiz

Benfica have reportedly rejected a €32m bid from Chelsea for David Luiz, as the defender was handed his first international call-up by new Brazil coach Mano Menenzes.

Menezes named a 24-man squad for his first match in charge of the South American champions against USA next month, and there were several call-ups for Brazil’s next generation. Along with the likes of Rafael (Manchester United) and Santos duo Neymar and Ganso, Benfica’s David Luiz was also included in the group.

“I am very happy and excited with this call,” he told the club’s official website. “It was a goal and a dream in my life. I’ll make the most of this opportunity.”

It appears increasingly likely that Luiz will still be a Benfica player when he makes his international bow, with Benfica apparently determined to retain his services for the new campaign in the face of interest from English clubs Manchester City and Chelsea.

According to Record, the Eagles have rejected an offer in the region of €32m from Chelsea for the 23-year-old. Previously, Man City had made an approach worth €35m, with a €3m annual salary for Luiz, but was also turned down by Benfica, who refuse to negotiate below their reported €40m valuation.

Rafael van der Vaart Rules Out Premiership Move

Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart insists reports linking him with a move to England are wide of the mark.

The Madrid playmaker was believed to be mulling over the prospect of a switch to the Premier League, with Liverpool and Chelsea ready to pounce.

It was claimed that Van der Vaart was ready to call time on his time in Spain after slipping down the pecking order at Santiago Bernabeu.

He was even quoted as saying that the opportunity to join Liverpool or Chelsea would be 'impossible to turn down'.

However, the Dutchman claims he has been misquoted and never intended to suggest that he was closing in on a move to England.

Instead, the 27-year-old playmaker is looking to force his way into the fold at Real, with Jose Mourinho having stepped into the Bernabeu hot-seat over the summer.

"I'm determined to stay at Real Madrid," Van der Vaart told De Telegraaf.

"I want to stay here and succeed at Real. It's a shame that the English press has misquoted me. They've written things that are simply not true."

Van der Vaart has spent the last two years in the Spanish capital, having completed a big-money move from Hamburg in 2008.

He has managed 70 appearances in all competitions during his time in Madrid, but found himself unable to hold down a regular starting berth last season.

Jeffrey Bruma & Patrick Van Aanholt Are Potential Netherlands Stars - Marco Van Basten

Netherlands' national side is not exactly known for its strong defenders, but that could very well change in the near future, according to former Ajax and Holland coach Marco van Basten. San Marco is full of confidence that Chelsea duo Jeffrey Bruma and Patrick van Aanholt could make the step up for Oranje.

"They have talked a lot about Bruma in Holland because in a defensive way we have not a big problem but there is room for a few good new defenders," Van Basten was quoted as saying on the official Chelsea website.

"He is one of these defenders that can be interesting for the future of Holland, so we are following all these guys and also Van Aanholt. I haven't seen him play much, but he is also a big name in the youth department."

Bruma is a product of the Feyenoord youth academy and made his official Premier League debut for Chelsea in October 2009.

Van Aanholt came through the ranks at PSV before joining Chelsea in 2007. The left back made his first Premier League appearance in March.

What Can Chelsea Fans Expect From Ramires?

Chelsea are expected to sign Brazilian midfielder any day now from Portuguese side Benfica, but what can fans expect him to bring to the Premier League and FA Cup champions?

Nicknamed the Blue Kenyan the 23-year-old is a tireless box-to-box runner and Carlo Ancelotti may see him as a potential replacement for Michael Ballack, who departed west London earlier in the summer after it was decided that his contract was not going to be renewed by the club.

Although Ramires is a different type of midfielder to Ballack it was clear that the German sacrificed his attacking game more often than not for Chelsea as Frank Lampard remains the most potent goal threat from the middle of the park for the Blues.

Ramires is a workhorse, but not primarily a defensive midfielder, much like Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel. However, it is most likely be asked to do some of the dirty work in order to leave the likes of Lampard to do what he does best (scoring and creating goals).

The player had a great first season for Benfica winning a Portuguese Liga and cup double. He has also already forced his way into the Brazil team and was a regular during their Confederations Cup campaign in 2009. During the World Cup in South Africa he lost his place to Felipe Melo initially, regained his place, then he got himself suspended for the game against Holland… he was probably missed as Melo returned to flick the ball in his own net from a Wesley Sneijder shot then sealed Brazil’s fate after getting himself sent off for stamping on Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben.

The Chelsea fans will perhaps be glad that some youthful exuberance is set to be injected into their ageing midfield and should get plenty of longevity out of Ramires who is still just 23, which means he has plenty of time on his side to settle in English football and improve as a player.

Ancelotti also has a fairly good record at nurturing young Brazilian talent with former world player of the year Kaka and Alexandre Pato amongst his prospects, but repeating these sorts of tricks in the Premier League will be a whole new challenge for the manager approaching his second season in west London.

Roman Abramovich has been fairly quiet with his billions ever since the Stamford Bridge outfit’s disastrous purchase of Andriy Shevchenko for around £30m in 2006, but as well as Ramires’ expected arrival it is also believed that the club seem keen on another 23-year-old Brazilian in David Luiz, who was of course a team mate of Ramires during their title winning season last term, and the club has made an offer for Santos’ promising young talent Neymar.

Ramires may endear himself to many fans after he reportedly chose Chelsea over the Premier League’s other billionaires Manchester City, especially after losing out on Robinho to them a few summers ago (a case of right player, wrong club in my opinion).

It is not a done deal yet, but the Brazilian is expected to become an official Chelsea signing upon his return from holiday in his native Brazil (probably by the end of this week) for a fee believed to be around £20 million.

Making That Giant Step!

One of the common perceptions I’ve noticed whilst policing the article comments relates to Jose Mourinho never giving youth a chance.

Now this wasn’t always the case.

I can distinctly remember Jose championing the case of one of our promising youngsters and giving him his opportunity to sparkle.

The youngster in question was a certain Scott Sinclair.

Sinclair made more than the odd appearance for Jose and was doing remarkably well until, against Manchester United, the boot of a certain Wes Brown put Scott out of action with a broken foot.

Since then it’s been a baffling experience for Sinclair. Instead of flourishing he’s been shunted out on loan spell after loan spell and frustrated manager after manager.

Last season it was Roberto Martinez, at Wigan, who had Sinclair under his tutorship and once again Scott couldn’t force hi sway into the Wigan team on a permanent basis. Scott was largely used as an impact player coming off the bench although impact could well be the wrong word.

Back at Chelsea now, Scott was brought on as a substitute at Selhurst Park and one mazy run; seconds after being brought on should have resulted in a penalty. For a few seconds there memories of the youngster; who had shown he could run the length of the pitch and score, came flooding back.

Sadly, given time to show what he could do in the Amsterdam Arena on Friday evening, Scott just didn’t get involved enough and was virtually anonymous at a time when he probably needed a decent performance.

Now, as then new season approaches, I can’t help thinking that the gulf between truly promising youngster and seasoned first team professional is one that Scott is struggling to breach.

I hate to say it, especially after being one of those who truly believed he’d make it, that his time at our club is probably up!

Malouda: Hard Work After Holiday Help

Florent Malouda is back in training and looking to pick up where he left off in May, following a summer that had it all.

The flying winger had the best season of his career in 2009/10, scoring 15 times as we sealed the Barclays Premier League on the final day of the season before wrapping up the Double with victory in the FA Cup Final over Portsmouth.

In a whirlwind two months since, the Frenchman has seen just about everything, from the World Cup in South Africa to the devastation caused by the January earthquake in Haiti.

It is a cause close to Malouda's heart, having been born in French Guiana in the same Central American region.

'There has been a lot of travelling but I really enjoyed my holidays, I didn't have so much time away for a long time so I really enjoyed it,' he explained.

'The first part was difficult with my trip to Haiti. I went there and met a lot of extraordinary people. What I saw was really hard, I could never imagine people who could live in those conditions and at the same time I was in awe of the way they were organized and showing their will to survive. That's a really good example for me, and it gives you more humility.

'I realized they were expecting my visit and it was really important to them because they felt like they were not forgotten. That was the purpose of my trip there, and I will be back.'

Aside from his humanitarian trip, the 30-year-old was also able to catch up on some much needed family time after a 50-game club season and the distraction of France's World Cup campaign.

'After Haiti I was on holiday with my family, in Miami,' Malouda continued. 'I didn't have a training program for some time, that's what I enjoyed the most. During the year you have always a program, a schedule or a meeting, so it was nice to relax my mind and physically have some rest.

'I also had some time in French Guiana. I was there for five days and saw my family. I was really happy, especially after what happened in the World Cup, it is always the same when I go there, people give me their support and are really proud of what I have done here at Chelsea.

'Year after year I see more people wearing Chelsea shirts with number 15 on. They are proud and I am like an ambassador for Guianese people and it reminds me of the responsibility I have.'

After two months away it is now back to the familiar Surrey surroundings of the Chelsea training ground, as we aim to defend our trophy haul of the last campaign. Malouda is only too aware that the season starts here.

'Now I feel really good and I have a lot of motivation to do better than last year. It is all about work,' he acknowledged.

'Now it is pre-season, we have to work hard, we had our deserved holidays but now it is over and the season will start soon. We have to get our focus back on the objectives of the club and being the best in everything we do.'

Training: It's A Full House

The holidays are now officially over for the players. Monday was the day for the final group of World Cup participants to return.

Heading in for their first morning of work of the new season were the English trio of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry, and Portuguese pair Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira. Deco flew in and returned to Cobham in the afternoon.

All were eliminated at the first knockout round in South Africa.

Like for their club colleagues before them, first up were the physiological tests to determine what shape the lads are in for their return, followed by a six-minute 'yoyo' run, backwards and forwards at a consistent speed, much like the infamous 'bleep tests', which helps give an accurate gauge of how hard the individual is having to work.

Joining the new arrivals for this exercise was Jose Boswinga, able to complete it as he works towards full fitness following knee surgery.

Following a period of recovery in the middle of the day, it was time for today's returnees to reunite with a football as following their tailored warm-up, they were handed back to Carlo Ancelotti for a full training session with the rest of the squad which still contains many of the young players who contested the opening two pre-season friendlies.

Soon the likes of Terry and Carvalho were spreading long passes out wide as players swept up the field together in countering-attacking groups, followed by two sides playing a possession game in a small area to sharpen technique.

All the injury-free players will now train throughout the week ahead of the two-game visit to Germany.