Chelsea deny lodging late bid to hijack Villa’s Madrid move
CHELSEA last night dismissed speculation they tried to poach David Villa from under the noses of Real Madrid.
The Valencia striker is set to become the latest member of the Bernabeu ‘galacticos’, joining £140m duo Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But reports in Spain suggested Chelsea had crept in with an 11th hour offer to tempt the 27-year-old to England after the club’s Spanish scout Juan Cruz Sol met with Valencia president Manuel Llorente yesterday.
Cruz Sol was quoted afterwards as saying: “Chelsea made an important offer for him Villa but the answer was no because negotiations with Real Madrid are very advanced.
“Hence, there’s no possibility that Villa will go to Chelsea because he wants to go to Real Madrid.”
But a Chelsea spokesman last night denied a bid, saying: “We have made no offer for David Villa.”
The Blues were also rebuffed yesterday in their attempt to lure AC Milan duo Alexandre Pato and Andrea Pirlo to Stamford Bridge, following the footsteps of ex-Rossoneri boss Carlo Ancelotti. But new Milan boss Leonardo insists the pair are going nowhere.
“They are not moving from Milan,” he insisted. “They are both very important for the team. They are fundamental parts of a recent victorious past, Pirlo especially.”
While Ancelotti is looking to strengthen his Blues squad, he will also have to fend off interest from Bayern Munich for Jose Bosingwa with general manager Uli Hoeness admitting: “We are only looking at whether there are possibilities for the right-back position. We are interested in Bosingwa. That’s correct.”
One player almost certain to leave the Bridge is midfielder Deco after a disappointing 12 months in English football. “I want to feel fine, and that is not happening at Chelsea,” he said.