Chelsea to splash £100m?

While Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is no longer the Premier League’s richest owner, as Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan now holds that honour, Abramovich intends to win the Premier League this season by open his checkbook in hopes of signing Franck Ribery, Andrea Pirlo, and Sergio Aguero. The three together are estimated to cost at least £100m.

John Terry has just recently committed his future to Chelsea last week, but he also told Abramovich that the squad needed strengthening in order to compete over the next few seasons.

Andrea Pirlo, the AC Milan midfielder, seems almost certain to arrive in west London this summer. New manager Carlo Ancelotti feels that Pirlo would be a perfect playmaker in Chelsea’s midfield diamond, as he could effectively dictate Chelsea’s rhythm of play. Milan are considering Chelsea’s new bid of £12m plus striker Claudio Pizarro. Ancelotti wants Pirlo at Chelsea as soon as possible, even to play in this Sunday’s Community Shield at Wembley.

As for Aguero, Atletico Madrid rate him at £45m. However, the Argentine wanted wages close to an exorbitant £200,000 a week, which could prove to be a stumbling block.

French sensation Franck Ribery is another Blues target, and Ribery’s transfer from Bayern Munich seems imminent as he is eager to quit the German club. Bayern insist that Ribery must honour his contract, but with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid all hoping to add the Frenchman to their squad the German side’s stance seems probable to change.