Chelsea Ready To Dig Deep To Bring Benzema To Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are rumoured to be ready to make a significant bid to bring Real Madrid misfit Karim Benzema to Stamford Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti is looking to bring in more youthful attacking options as he sees the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka entering the latter stages of their illustrious careers.

The Blues boss was apparently greatly displeased with his sides showing in the Community Shield encounter with Manchester United and as a result is looking to spend big to help beef up his squad ahead of the new season. Jose Mourinho may well be looking at offloading the French international and there were rumours that a deal to bring Ashley Cole to the Bernabeu could have been tied into such an approach but Ancelotti has no desire to sell the full back so will instead try to get the former Lyon man in a straight cash deal.

The young forward hasn’t had the best of times at the La Liga giants and only managed 18 starts in all competitions last term and spend long spells on the bench. There is no sign that the new Real boss will be looking to push him back up the pecking order so if a big enough bid came in then it would surely be considered.

The 22 year old missed out on French World Cup squad due to his lack of first team action and is currently embroiled in a sex scandal that has rocked his home country. He may well therefore be keen on a fresh start and a new challenge.

Real Madrid will be looking to recoup as much of the £34m outlay they spent last summer and Roman Abramovich is apparently more than happy to fund new additions and the west London side haven’t really spent big at all so far this summer, having only spent money on Yossi Benayoun, so clearly funds won’t be an issue.

Chelsea On Alert As Asmir Begovic Demands First-Team Football

Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will look to leave the Britannia Stadium unless he is Tony Pulis' first-choice goalkeeper.

Chelsea is thought to be monitoring the situation and could pounce for his signature.

The 23-year-old was excellent at Portsmouth last season and with Pompey desperate for money, he was sold to Stoke City during the January transfer window.

However, Begovic has been unable to unseat Danish World Cup goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen as first choice at Stoke.

The Daily Mirror reports that Begovic will look for a move if it becomes clear that he will sit on the bench and that Chelsea are keep to snap him up.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti currently has the unconvincing Hilario as back-up for Petr Cech and is keen to add more strength among his goalkeeping options.

Real Madrid To Battle Chelsea For Benfica Centre-Back David Luiz

After sealing an agreement to buy Portuguese centre-half Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea, Real Madrid is set to battle the Blues for Benfica central defender David Luiz.

Carvalho's expected transfer has paved the way for Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti to sign another non-home-grown player according to new Premier League regulations, and the Mail reported that he is prepared to pay £27 million for Luiz.

Madrid, meanwhile, appear to have given up on buying the expensive Maicon from Inter, and want to sign both Luiz and AC Milan centre-back Thiago Silva , according to the Spanish Marca newspaper.

Benfica are said to be willing to offlaod Luiz to Madrid for 25 million euros plus Dutch midfielder Roysten Drenthe.

Chelsea Desperate To Offload Striker Franco Di Santo

Chelsea are offering Franco Di Santo to clubs around Europe as they attempt to cash in on the striker, according to The People.

Di Santo, 21, is believed to be out of manager Carlo Ancelotti's plans after failing to shine while on loan at Blackburn Rovers last term. With a return of just one goal in 22 Premier League appearances while in Lancashire, he is believed to have little chance of a Blues future.

Dutch sides Feyenoord and FC Twente, plus English pair Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic are believed to be keen. Chelsea is pushing for a £2 million permanent move rather than another temporary switch.

Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho To Sign For Real Madrid For €8m

Chelsea stalwart Ricardo Carvalho is joining Real Madrid, both clubs have confirmed.

The 32-year-old is thus on the verge of reuniting with his former coach and mentor Jose Mourinho in a deal claimed by Spanish sources to be worth €8m.

Media sources in Spain claim that negotiations have been ongoing between the two clubs for much of Tuesday, but not until the evening did Chelsea announces that the deal was taking place, subject to the agreement of personal terms.

The Blues said, "Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has agreed terms with Real Madrid for the transfer of Ricardo Carvalho. The transfer is subject to a medical and the player agreeing personal terms.

"Chelsea would like to thank Riccy for his six years of service, and we wish him well in his future career."

Real Madrid stated shortly afterwards that Ricardo Carvalho "would be under contract at Real Madrid for the next two seasons," implying that both wages and the medical test were mere formalities.

Neither announcement offered the transfer fee, but €8m is reported to be the sum of the deal. It has been further rumoured that there is a "plus-one" option on Carvalho's two-year deal, but this was not mentioned by the Santiago Bernabeu club.

Carvalho will serve as Madrid's fifth summer signing after wide midfielders Angel Di Maria and Pedro Leon, attacking midfielder-cum-forward Sergio Canales, and central midfielder Sami Khedira.

At the Bernabeu, he will compete with Raul Albiol, Pepe, and Ezequiel Garay for a starting berth, while if Real Madrid sign an attacking full-back, as is expected, he may also have to jostle for position with Sergio Ramos.

Pat Nevin: Looking Good

Legendary Chelsea winger turned pundit Pat Nevin believes things are coming together for the Blues as we approach the start of the Premier League campaign.

Here is an odd thing, I honestly can't remember one single pre-season game in my entire career. I can vaguely sense that I once played with Chelsea somewhere in north-west England or was it north Wales? Actually I can't be sure. Then later on there was some part time thug from a semi-professional team who nearly broke my leg, but could I tell you his team, the score, or who I was even playing for at the time? No chance.

Ask me about the first league game from each of my seasons however and I could probably recall the score, what kind of game it was and how I played. I am sure you get the point, the season starts now as far as professional footballers are concerned. Everything before this weekend has been about fitness, about shaping the side and getting new players to understand the systems as well as the capabilities of their team-mates.

The string of defeats in those pre-season friendlies, including the Community Shield was not what was desired. In truth even though there was a trophy at stake and it was played at Wembley, what is more important, three points against West Brom or that 3-1 defeat to United?

Right now I have to admit to being more upbeat than most about Chelsea's chances in 2010/2011, in fact I am more positive than I was at this time last season, which turned out to be quite good in the end, I think you will agree. Yes Deco, Ballack and Joe Cole have gone but each was a peripheral influence last time round.

I thought Michael Ballack had a very good end to the season when he played deeper in midfield but with Essien back at last and the likelihood of one stronger midfielder coming in soon I think that area could be stronger than ever. Joe Cole is however a bigger question and not an easy one. For what it is worth, not surprisingly I think Joe is a fine player and he will always be respected by Chelsea fans for what he did for the club, but and there is a big but, there is a question, will he be hugely missed?

In my media work I probably went to see Liverpool last season more than anyone apart from Chelsea and have constantly said that Yossi Benayoun is one the best players in the Premier League and certainly among the most imaginative and visionary. His treatment by Rafa Benitez absolutely confounded me, every time he had a good game, made or scored a goal he would get dropped. I am delighted to say that there was never a complaint or an attitude problem from the Israeli, but I was convinced Yossi was in the right and Rafa in the wrong throughout. So not to put too fine a point on it, I think Chelsea have got the best of the deal, I would always choose Benayoun before Cole, anyone listening to my commentaries would know that I am not just saying this because he has arrived at the Bridge.

So even though players have gone and the pre season has been pretty poor, I am not in any way downcast. This year it is a harder Premier League than ever with Man City, Spurs and Everton all improving, but that was needed, the Chelsea/Man Utd duopoly gets a bit boring for everyone else.

What Chelsea needed in the short term was a 'helpful' opening league program to get the players - especially those who have been at the World Cup - back up to speed. A quick glance at the opening five fixtures and I am sure you will agree, it has fallen into our laps almost perfectly. A convincing defeat of new boys West Brom and it will not be struggling Chelsea in the media, it will be double winners Chelsea...and doesn't that still sound good?

Kickz Kids Given Chance To Shine

A number of young participants on Chelsea's anti-crime 'Kickz' initiative have been offered trials at the club after they impressed on the football-based initiative.

Joseph Felix from the Westminster program, Glen Kamara from Kensington and Chelsea and Troy Timothy from Hammersmith and Fulham impressed the coaches and Chelsea scouts with their footballing ability, their attitude and their hard work.

The Kickz project is helping to divert participants away from many of the social problems facing young people, often in some of the most deprived areas in the country. Chelsea now deliver six Kickz projects to over 1,200 young people three times a week in London as well as providing similar social inclusion initiatives in Surrey and Essex.

The projects use the power and appeal of football to build safer, stronger, more respectful communities through the development of young people's potential. They combine football coaching three nights a week in some of the country's most disadvantaged areas alongside a range of educational workshops and opportunities to gain qualifications and increase employability.

'The lads have given their all and their hard work has been rewarded,' said Kickz project manager Daniel GIll. 'They've worked really hard not only at their game but at turning their lives around and these trials will show them and everyone else on the program that if you work hard and apply yourselves opportunities in life do exist.'