Chelsea Chuffed As Target Romelu Lukaku Snubs Real Madrid

Chelsea's long term target Romelu Lukaku has given the Blues a boost by snubbing Real Madrid and insisting he will stay with his club Anderlecht.

The 17-year-old striker is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Europe and has been linked with Chelsea and Madrid over the summer.

However Lukaku says he is going nowhere and wants to stay in Belgium in a setback for Real boss Jose Mourinho who wanted to breeze him and tempt him away from Anderlecht with a £16million bid.

Chelsea, on the other hand, is prepared to sit and wait for Lukaku and will pleased learn that the Spanish giants have been warned off.

Lukaku, who scored 18 goals in 43 games for Anderlecht last season, said: 'I'm staying. My desire is to play Champions League with this club and continue my studies in Brussels.'

Clarets Capture Cork

Burnley has signed Chelsea midfielder Jack Cork on a season-long loan.

Cork, 21, enjoyed a successful four-month spell at Turf Moor last season and scored his first Premier League goal in the win against Tottenham on the final day of the campaign.

A statement on the club's official website said: "The 21-year-old was an outstanding success in his four-month stay as a Claret, making 11 appearances, with his influence on the field matched by his popularity in the dressing room."

The England Under 21 international has had previous loan spells with Coventry, Scunthorpe, Southampton and Bournemouth, clocking up over 100 league appearances.

Santos Striker Neymar Agrees To Move To Chelsea

Santos starlet Neymar has agreed to join Premier League champions Chelsea in the coming days, according to latest reports.

One of Brazil's most important newspapers, Folha de Sao Paulo, claims that in a meeting held in New York the decision to allow the Brazilian international striker to leave Santos for Chelsea was finalized.

It's been reported that the meeting was held in the presence of the player, his father, agent Wagner Ribeiro, Santos president Luiz Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and agent Pini Zahavi. Neymar agreed to sign for the Blues, who will pay Santos €25 million.

Neymar has been a target of Chelsea's all summer and at one point it appeared that the move had fallen through when Santos officially rejected a €20 million bid from the English giants. However, with Neymar having agreed to put pen to paper, it now appears that an official declaration will be made in the coming days.

Santos Report Chelsea To FIFA For 'Trying To Tap Up' Neymar

Santos FC are reporting Chelsea to FIFA, claiming that the Blues tried to tap up Brazilian wonder-kid Neymar, according to reports in the South America country.

Santos have accused Chelsea of approached the 18-year-old before playing, and scoring, for Brazil against the USA in New York on Tuesday.

Chelsea has been chasing the teen for a while and Santos rejected a £17.5million bid for the player last month. Santos had previously snubbed a £12m bid for the player from West Ham.

It's not the first time Chelsea has become embroiled in transfer controversy.

The Blues were dealt a two-window transfer ban last year following the signing of French midfielder Gael Kakuta from Lens – an embargo that was eventually overturned by UEFA.

Dutch Debut For Bruma

Chelsea has a new full international after 18-year-old Jeffrey Bruma made his debut for Holland against Ukraine on Wednesday night.

The young defender had been called into the Dutch squad by coach Bert van Marwijk, who had opted not to name any of his World Cup group that came runners-up in the World Cup, and the Chelsea man was picked from the start in Kiev.

Although he was beaten by Andriy Shevchenko, who shot just wide, Bruma turned in an impressive performance, and will have whet his appetite for international football in this game, which ended 1-1.

Yury Zhirkov played the first half for Russia as they entertained Bulgaria in St Petersburg, winning 1-0 despite being under pressure for much of the game. Their goal game from Roman Shirokov inside the first 10 minutes.

Branislav Ivanovic was back at right-back after featuring in the centre of Chelsea's defence, as Serbia were beaten 1-0 at home by Greece. The goal came from a close-range Dimitris Salpingidis header after he had escaped the attentions of Man United's Nemanja Vidic.

At Under 21 level Patrick van Aanholt helped the Dutch become the first side to reach the European Championship play-offs, thanks to a 3-0 qualifying win in Liechtenstein. The left-back played the full 90 minutes.

Nemanja Matic played the full 90 minutes for Serbia, but like their senior side they were defeated, 2-1 away in Slovakia. The Chelsea man was booked after 18 minutes.

Finally, Philipp Prosenik played the first half for Austria Under 19s in their 1-1 draw against Russia. Lively throughout his run-out, the striker, who spent much of last season sidelined through injury, had a couple of chances and worked the Russian goalie into a smart save shortly before half-time.

England Stars Get Mixed Reception On Wembley Return

England's World Cup flops endured a mixed reception on their return to Wembley as John Terry and Ashley Cole were singled out for jeers in Wednesday's friendly against Hungary, but the rest of Fabio Capello's side were spared the predicted abuse.

Just 45 days after England's dismal World Cup campaign ended in a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Germany, Capello's team were back in action and it quickly became clear who their own supporters blamed for the debacle in South Africa.

England coach Capello and captain Steven Gerrard had both admitted before the friendly that they expected a hostile reception from the Wembley crowd.

Their worst fears were only partially realized as Terry, Cole, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney were booed by sections of the estimated 60,000 crowd when their names were read out over the public address system before kick-off.

The fact that over 20,000 fans had opted to stay away suggested that supporters preferred to show their discontent by voting with their feet.

And once the match started it was only Chelsea duo Terry and Cole who had to suffer a continued chorus of disapproval whenever they touched the ball.

It was hardly surprising that those two were to get the worst treatment.

Cole has been public enemy number one with the English football public since he made what has been perceived as money-motivated transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea several years ago.

He has already been booed by England fans in the past and was reported to have told a friend after the World Cup that he would love to leave the country due to the reporting of his separation from his popstar wife - hardly a comment guaranteed to win favour with patriotic fans of the national team.

Terry was also something of an unpopular figure even before England's World Cup flop after being stripped of the captaincy following his affair with the ex girlfriend of former international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The jeers gradually seemed to subside for those after the first 20 minutes however, suggesting England fans are a more forgiving bunch than many believed.

The Thursday Interview: Michael Essien

After the euphoria that brought last season to a close, the summer has been something of a frustration after four consecutive pre-season defeats, but the one highlight has been the return to action of a much-missed midfielder.

Absent for seven months, Michael Essien made his comeback in the first friendly of the summer at Crystal Palace, scoring the winner, and has gone on to play more minutes in the build-up to the season than any other Chelsea player.

Now we stand on the verge of another Premier League campaign, and the early signs are that the midfielder will be a central figure in Carlo Ancelotti's plans, both literally and metaphorically speaking. Essien though seems delighted to be back doing what he loves after a testing lay-off.

'It feels so good to be back, it has been a long way back but everything is behind me now and I'm enjoying playing football again,' explains the Ghanaian. 'I never feared for my career, it never crossed my mind.

'These injuries are part of football, so you have to take them when they come and not get too down about it.

'I knew if I worked hard I would be back again so that's what I did and I am back on my feet. I know a few years ago it could have been the end of my career but with new technologies, surgery and techniques things are good, so yeah, let's go again this season.

'We've had a bit of a bad pre-season with losing games but more importantly it has been good for me to be gaining fitness again and making sure I am sharp and ready for the season.'

In contrast to many of his team-mates, Essien had to sit out Africa's first World Cup, a blow for a man proud of his roots, but in doing so he has given himself the best opportunity of a clean bill of health in the new campaign, and demonstrated the importance of pre-season to a footballer.

He reported back at Cobham on July 5 ready to go, three weeks before the English and Portuguese internationals who were in South Africa, and although at first he had a tailored program, he is now with the rest of the squad and feeling the benefits.

'It is good to have a pre-season under my belt, personally I think I have done well and I keep getting fitter the more games I play. I feel like I am ready for the season and I am looking forward to it so much,' he says.

'I think this season could be a big one, the last two seasons I didn't take too big a part in, I didn't start in one but finished it, then I started okay last season but didn't finish it, so this year has to be a good one and hopefully I will stay injury-free and help Chelsea win some trophies.

'My main aim has to be to stay fit, to keep working hard and helping the team to get as many points as we can.'

If the 27-year-old can achieve that goal, then there is every chance silverware will be returning to Stamford Bridge at the end of May, and he will once more be able to celebrate alongside his team-mates on the pitch, rather than as a mere onlooker from the stands.

Club Continues Fight Agaiinst Ticket Touting

Ticket touting is a serious crime in English football and Chelsea would like to remind fans of its dangers.

Last season, 2,500 members and season ticket holders were suspended due to fraudulent claims for match tickets, which denied die-hard fans the opportunity to attend games.

Tickets sold illegally often result in large numbers of away supporters being in the home areas of Stamford Bridge, threatening the safety of fans in those seats.

Ticket touting is a serious criminal offence, which will be dealt with by the authorities, but inside the ground Chelsea can implement our own reprimands, and there will be repercussions for anyone caught touting.

Suspensions will be put in place, regardless of whether it's a first offence, so Chelseafc.com decided to ensure fans were fully informed on the threat of ticket touting ahead of the new campaign.

It is legal to pass on tickets and season tickets so long as certain criteria are adhered to.

Firstly, you must ensure the ticket is not sold at anything above its face value. Secondly, tickets must not be sold as part of a package or given away at a charity event without permission of the club. And thirdly, tickets must not be sold in a public place, and fans should note, this includes the internet.

In fact, the only outlet allowed to sell single match tickets online is Viagogo, other than match packages with Thomas Cook, so be aware when surfing the web.

Fans can give or sell tickets, at no more than their original value, to friends or family but must take care not to receive money or pass tickets over in a public place, as this will constitute an offence.

You should also be aware that, regardless of who you have passed your seat onto, you are still responsible for that ticket. As you are the person who was originally supplied with the ticket, it is you who will receive any repercussions that ticket may cause.

'The club takes this matter very seriously,' said a club spokesman. 'We need to protect the genuine ticket purchasers.

'Over the last few years the club has stepped up its campaign against ticket touts. We now do this more intensively than any other club.

'It is a disservice to genuine members who want to get tickets that fraudulent members will have bought. It denies real Chelsea fans the chance of going to a game.'

The club is here to help fight against ticket touts but we need your help. If you're a season ticket holder and the seats around you are regularly taken up by different people, then let the club know.

There may be legitimate reasons for this, but Chelsea promise to investigate and deal with accordingly.

'Between Fulham Broadway and the ground you're likely to walk past 10 people who'll be trying to sell tickets,' added the club spokesman.

'Unfortunately this is outside Chelsea's jurisdiction and the only advice we can offer is to ignore it, because it's more than likely you will be ripped off.

'Another thing to remember is that sometimes tickets are still available from the box office, so instead of paying extortionate prices outside the ground, you could have paid the normal price inside the ground.'