Porto Determined To Cash In On £15m Rated Chelsea Target Raul Meireles

Porto are reportedly determined to flog star midfielder Raul Meireles to the highest bidder, with Manchester United and Chelsea interested in securing his signature.

Meireles, 27, was one of the bright spots of Portugal's World Cup 2010 campaign and is rated as one of the best ball winners in European football.

With an eye for goal to boot, the £15 million-rated player has been linked with Real Madrid as well as the Premier League duo.

According to O Bola, Porto have virtually transfer listed the player as they look to cash in on his exploits in South Africa.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is understood to see Meireles as a replacement for injury plagued battler Owen Hargreaves, who has suffered yet another set back in his bid to overcome a chronic tendonitis problem in his knees.

Belletti Agrees Terms With Fluminese

Former Brazil international Juliano Belletti has agreed terms with Fluminense in his homeland after being released by Chelsea at the end of last season.

The 34-year-old is set to sign a two-year deal with the Rio de Janeiro-based club if he passes a medical later this week.

Belletti moved to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona three years ago and went on to score five goals in 94 appearances for the west London outfit.

He started his career at Cruzeiro before moving on to Sao Paulo, Atletico Mineiro and then Villarreal.

Belletti spent one season with the Yellow Submarine before joining Barca in the summer of 2004 and went on to feature in 91 matches for the Catalan giants.

He was one of three players to be released by Chelsea at the end of last season. Michael Ballack has already joined Bayer Leverkusen while Joe Cole is still without a club.

Fiorentina's Adrian Mutu Will Not Give In To Chelsea

Adrian Mutu is adamant that he will not give in to Chelsea's demands over his proposed ban as a result of debts and the Romanian will not allow the Premier League champions' pressure affect him when his season begins, according to violanews.

The Fiorentina man's ban for testing positive for banned substances will finish at the end of October and the striker is keen to start his season for the Viola.

An on-going trial is looking at the possibility of wage reductions to allow Chelsea to be compensated the claimed €17 million that the London club believe they are owed. If a decision fails to be made final, the hearing will then go to an arbitration panel. The player pleaded his defence last month but it could be a long wait to find out whether FIFA will look into a possible ban.

Profiling The Future - Nemanja Matic

Matic was signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2009 for a reported fee of £1.5million from Slovakian club MFK Kosice. The 6 foot 5 inch midfielder was courted by Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Bayern Munich and Valencia before he agreed to join us.

Having started his career at Serbian side Kolubara Lazarevac, he became their youngest ever debutant aged 15 years and 11 months. He went on to play 3 seasons for them making an impressive 19 appearances with 1 goal to his name (coming in a friendly) and 1 assist.

His contributions saw Kosice gain interest and in his 2 years with them he made 67 appearances with 4 goals and 12 assists to his name. He was truly their midfield general, sitting deep, making perfect passes to open up play and running in to link up with attack on occasions.

Having impressed a great deal with his playing style, it was no surprise that he found himself at Stamford Bridge for the 2009/10 season. He was drafted into the reserve team, hoping that with his performances would merit a place in the first 11.

For the reserves Matic made 10 appearances with a goal to his name, a beautiful effort against Arsenal reserves. So far it stands as his only goal in any Chelsea shirt. He also had 2 assists to his name.

The reserves team had a lot more fluency whenever he was on the pitch, with Reserves manager Steve Holland describing his importance to the side after a 4-1 win over the reserve Hammers:

'Matic is quite a talent already, his passing won us the game today.'

Matic made his Premier League debut for us in a 4-0 win over Wolves after replacing Malouda for the last 20 minutes. He was impressive on the day and involved in some good attacking play at the end.

His only other appearance was in the 8-0 against Wigan also after 70 minutes as he continued where Ballack left off in helping with 3 more goals for the blues. He was also involved in the 5-0 demolition of Watford in the FA Cup. Sadly, injuries on a consistent basis meant that these were his only appearances.

Internationally Matic has represented Serbia at both U-19 and U-21 level, even making it into the final 30 of Serbia's World Cup list. His exclusion from the final 23 was inevitable as he was in direct competition with quality players like Kacar, Kuzmanovic and Stankovic in his position.

He has made 10 appearances at junior level with 2 goals in his first three games as well as 4 assists overall. For Serbia's national team he has 2 appearances to date. While compared to our last two profiles Matic seems an unattractive option, he is probably the most crucial and maybe even the likeliest to take his chance.

The void of the legendary Ballack is great but if anyone can fill it, it's Matic. His slow progress has mainly been down to injury problems. If he can overcome that, Ancelotti will have at his disposal a player similar in nature to Pirlo but with a more imposing physique.

A bit of hard work and Matic could be the answer to many questions posed by the loyal blue supporters.

Iker Casillas Confident Chelsea Left-Back Ashley Cole Will Make Move To Real Madrid

Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole is close to securing a £30 million move to Real Madrid, according to the Spanish club's goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.

Cole was one of Chelsea's outstanding performers last season, helping the club to a Premier League and FA Cup double, but has reportedly grown disillusioned with English football.

Cole has become a public hate figure since he was caught cheating on his wife, Cheryl, last year and is eager for a move abroad.

And Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes a £30m transfer to the Bernabeu may be imminent.

"From what I am hearing the signs look good," Casillas said to the Sun.

"I have only briefly spoken to people at the club but I am confident that he can be a Real Madrid player next year. I think it will be the right move for him both professionally and personally.

"A clean break from England is hopefully something he is very interested in."

If Cole does join Real Madrid, it will see him reunite with his former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, who brought him to Stamford Bridge from Arsenal in an acrimonious transfer saga four years ago.

"It will be his last big contract and who better to sign for than his old coach Mourinho at Real," Casillas added.

"He will know better than anybody this club will be successful under Jose. Jose has proved he buys players and makes them the very best in the world in their position.

"With Ashley he doesn't need to do that because he's already the best left-back in the world. Jose knows all about him and it comes as no surprise to me he is very much on Madrid's radar."

Paris St. Germain President Hopeful Of Keeping Arsenal And Chelsea Target Stephane Sessegnon

Paris St. Germain president Robin Leproux is convinced Arsenal and Chelsea target Stephane Sessegnon would enjoy a "magical season" if he stayed at the club.

Sessegnon, 26, has been linked with a switch to the Premier League duo after he stated his wish to leave the capital club this summer. The midfield schemer has been in impressive form since joining from Le Mans two years ago and has grabbed eight goals in 63 Ligue 1 appearances.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is understood to see the £10 million-rated star as a replacement for Cesc Fabregas, while Carlo Ancelotti wants to add some creativity to his team. With Tottenham Hotspur and Everton also interested, the Benin international is not short of English suitors.

Speaking to RMC radio, however, Leproux was optimistic Sessegnon would spurn a transfer.

"I spoke to Stephane before the holidays," Leproux said.

"He is a great player, he has fantastic qualities and makes fans dream on the field.

"He is capable of a magic season for us and I told him that. We know we can count on him."

Chelsea Pull Out Of Race To Sign Germany & Werder Bremen Star Mesut Oezil

Chelsea are believed to have stopped pursuing Werder Bremen midfielder Mesut Oezil.

The 21-year-old was a pivotal force for Germany in the 2010 World Cup, scoring once and excelling as a creative playmaker as he helped his country to a third place finish in the tournament.

The youngster's contract with Werder expires next season, and he recently maintained that he would honour his deal with the Bundesliga club.

Now the Sun reports that Premier League/FA Cup double-winners Chelsea have pulled out of the chase to procure the services of the former Schalke player.

However, it has also been reported that Chelsea are still interested in the services of Oezil's Germany team-mate, the Stuttgart midfielder Sami Khedira.

Carlo Ancelotti Backs Milan Coach Massimiliano Allegri To Succeed

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri will succeed in recasting the mindset at San Siro following a failed campaign last term.

The Rossoneri ended up empty handed as hands appeared tied. But ex-Milan boss Ancelotti has said Allegri will break the shackles and help the club refind its feet as a new era begins.

"Allegri is in the right frame to express all his possibilities given the organization at the club. He can do his best," Ancelotti told Sky Sport Italia.

While Allegri's ambition to revive the embers of success is the key to development, the Blues man is assured the learning curve will deliver top marks.

"Milan are going through a period of transition and I think players that were not great last season will produce more this year," he concluded.

Ray Wilkins Confirms Jon Obi Mikel & Michael Essien Are Close To Returning For Chelsea

Chelsea midfielders Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Essien are set to give manager Carlo Ancelotti a boost ahead of the new season, with Blues' assistant manager Ray Wilkins confirming that the two African stars are nearing returns from injury.

Both players were forced to miss the World Cup with knee injuries this summer, but both could be available for Chelsea's opening Premier League fixture against West Bromwich Albion on August 14.

"Jon Obi is slightly in advance of Michael Essien but they are both working very well indeed," Wilkins told his club's official website.

"They have been working double sessions for the last week and we will get them really firing before the season starts."

One new arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer has been Israeli winger Yossi Benayoun, signed from Liverpool.

The new boy is apparently enjoying the way pre-season is handled at Stamford Bridge - in contrast to what used to happen at Anfield.

"Yossi is doing well. He has said the pre-season training here is so different to what they did at Liverpool where they didn't use a ball," Wilkins explained.

"They ran and they ran and they ran. But here we use the ball all the times and we feel we get the best out of the guys by using the ball day in day out. I think Yossi is quite enjoying himself."

Meanwhile, Ancelotti's assistant at Chelsea also admitted that managing the fitness of those Blues stars who have been at the World Cup would be a challenge this season.

"Normally after a World Cup you find those players who come back from it, it is about December when they seem to hit a wall," he added.

"It is very important we manage them in the correct manner and we get them to a level where they won't be as fit as we want them to be, but as they creep into the new year their fitness will come back.

"The players we have got here now, we have to get them into the right fitness condition so that they are prepared to play, because we might not be able to use the guys coming back from the World Cup for the first couple of games.

"These young men have to be primed and ready to perform."

Cork's Golden Chance!

With the majority of the senior players yet to return to pre-season training after participation in the World Cup, Chelsea TV did a wonderful interview with Jack Cork.

Many suggest that the next month or so could be a seminal moment in the Chelsea career of Jack Cork.

Watched by the management team, in training, Cork knows that this is his chance to impress and perhaps earn the right to spend the season at Chelsea, possibly eyeing up a first team squad spot.

Since joining Chelsea, Cork has flourished but always away on loan. A successful season at Scunthorpe saw him voted their 'Player of the Year` and also their 'Young Player of the Year` in the same season.

Spells at Southampton and Watford followed before last season Cork was given the opportunity to try his luck in the Premier League with Burnley.

Now, Cork could do nothing to prevent Burnley from being relegated, to the Championship, but he still put in some stirring performances and was fortunate to notch up his first Premier League goal, against Spurs of all teams.

When questioned about his ambitions for the season, he modestly replied that he wanted to impress in pre-season training and then see where that took him.

With Chelsea playing Crystal Palace this weekend and with the squad still shorn of several of its big names, this is the ideal platform for Cork to shine.

A decent performance could well see him remain in the starting eleven for the friendly fixtures that follow, if so, this could well be the season that Jack Cork becomes a fully fledged member of the first team squad.

Profiling the Future - Fabio Borini

Borini was signed by Chelsea from Bologna aged 16, with a reputation of being a natural goal scorer who could make perfect runs and finish from the tightest of angles.

With competition from the Italian mega clubs Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus; credit must be given to Arnesen in pulling this one off. He never managed a first team appearance for Bologna but his statistics at junior level were amazing. He scored 53 times in 77 appearances between the age of 12 and 17 at academy and reserve level.

Having been snapped up by Chelsea, he was introduced to the academy level at first but an injury prone first year saw him make little impact on the blues. He made only 3 starts with a goal to his name. This however did not stop him from firing the following year as the 2008/09 season proved to be the wowing year for the player.

At youth level the Italian struck 11 goals in 10 games and earned immediate promotion to the reserve side. Here too he was amazing as he played against the likes of Stoke's Amdy Faye and United's Jonny Evans to still notch up 6 goals in 10+2 games.

People were now taking notice.

The arrival of Ancelotti saw the player rise further in prominence. When asked about the Italian Ancelotti said:

"Borini is an 18-year-old from Bologna who is very, very, very interesting.'

He was included in the Champions League squad and made his debut appearance in the Premier League, in the 89th minute in the 3-0 win over Spurs, though his involvement was minimal.

He got a second chance to showcase his talents with 13 minutes in a win over Wolves. I will never forget the moment in the 91st minute when a defence splitting ball was captured amazingly by Borini who easily managed to round the keeper.

Sadly the pass had been slightly over-hit so having beaten the keeper, Borini found the angle to be too tight and hit the side netting. A glimpse of his ability!

His first start saw an impressive display against QPR and he followed up with short appearances in an FA Cup match and the game against Apoel.

He is yet to score for the first team, though with barely 150 minutes under his belt that is hardly a concern. For the reserves this year he scored 4 times in 6 starts and 2 sub appearances.

Borini's international career has been quite prolific with an amazing 11 in 23 appearances and is one of the youngest players in the U-21 side, now 19 but earning his debut aged 18.

Christened the new Shevchenko by the press, Borini's place in the squad should give blues fans great optimism about the future, given how good the original Shevchenko became under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti.

My Favourite Games: Alex

Overlooked by his country for this summer's World Cup, the Chelsea man still has his homeland on his mind as he picks out two treasured memories, one of a game played in and another watched on TV 16 summers ago.

Favourite game played:

Before he arrived at Chelsea, where he has won two FA Cups and a Barclays Premier League title, Alex had regularly picked up silverware with PSV in Holland and prior to that, with Santos in Brazil where he began his career.

As the club that nurtured Pele, Santos has a fine reputation for developing talent, and also brought through household names Robinho and Elano at the same time Alex was coming through.

Back in 2002, our man was a raw 20-year-old central defender as his club reached the final of the Brazilian championship, despite finishing eighth in the regular league season. Progressing past Sao Paulo and Gremio, they would meet Corinthians in the final.

The first leg brought a 2-0 victory with goals courtesy of Alberto and Renato, before the second leg a week later, in which the future Manchester City pairing of Robinho with a penalty, and Elano netted important goals on the way to a 3-2 victory.

'It was a big final for Santos against Corinthians, the Sao Paulo rivals, and we won 3-2 and won the league championship,' he recalls.

'For me it was very, very good, my first big trophies as a professional and my friends Robinho and Elano both scored for us.'

Favourite game watched:

Most people who remember this 1994 World Cup Final will recount an uninspiring affair between Italy and Brazil, the sides that had produced such a thrilling spectacle in Mexico in 1970.

Although both sides had chances, the Brazilians for Bebeto and Romario, the Italians for Daniele Massaro and Roberto Baggio, it ended goalless and the World Cup was decided on penalties for the first time ever, in the midday heat of Los Angeles.

Franco Baresi, Italian captain, shot over before Gianluca Pagliuca saved from Marcio Santos to level matters. Claudio Taffarel then saved Massaro's shot and Dunga converted, meaning Baggio would need to score to give his side a chance.

The Divine Ponytail stepped up, and duly blasted his penalty over the bar, handing Brazil their first World Cup success in 24 years. For Alex, it was a major moment in his childhood, having just turned 12.

'The final of the World Cup in 1994, people say it was not exciting but it was very nervous and exciting for Brazilian people, it was a long time since we had won the trophy and it was the first time that I saw it happen,' says the defender.

'We played at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles last summer against Inter, where that final was, and it was a good experience.'

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.