On his way: AC Milan and Italy midfielder Andrea
Pirlo is destined to follow Andriy Shevchenko's footsteps from the
San Siro and join Chelsea this week
Chelsea
expect to complete the signing of Andrea Pirlo this week
and will then intensify their efforts to lure Franck Ribery and
Sergio Aguero to Stamford Bridge.
The trio would cost Roman Abramovich the best part of
£100million in transfer fees alone but the Chelsea owner is
determined to prove he has not lost the appetite to compete in the
transfer market, despite a slow start to his summer trading.
When John Terry agreed to commit his future to the club last
week, he cited a pledge from Abramovich to bolster the squad with
star names as a key reason.
Since then, Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of 30-year-old
Pirlo and are bracing themselves to fight Manchester
United for both Aguero and Ribery in a pre-season
transfer duel which could prove crucial to this season's Barclays
Premier League title race.
AC Milan are wary of the potential reaction from their
supporters after seeing the popular trio of Ancelotti, Paolo
Maldini and Kaka all leave the San Siro this summer.
Vice-president Adriano Galliani and new manager Leonardo have
consistently claimed Pirlo is not for sale, but they are aware he
is anxious to follow his mentor to Stamford Bridge and Milan are
privately committed to rejuvenating their ageing squad to compete
with Inter Milan.
Born: Flero, northern Italy
Age: 30.
Clubs: Brescia, Inter, Reggina (on loan), Brescia (on
loan), AC Milan.
Club honours (all with AC Milan): 2 Champions Leagues, 1 Serie A title, 1 Italian
Cup, 2 European Super Cups, 1 Italian Super Cup, 1 Club World
Cup.
Italy caps: 59. Goals:
8.
International honours: World Cup winner 2006 (man
of the match), Olympic bronze medal, European Under-21
title
Milan rejected Chelsea's initial approach for Pirlo but an
improved bid of £12million plus striker Claudio Pizarro could
persuade them to do business, possibly in time for the Italian
midfielder to make his debut against Manchester United in the
Community Shield.
Sunday's clash at Wembley will be the precursor to an August
duel between Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson because United are
also keen on signing Aguero from Atletico Madrid, who rate him at
£45m.
Personal terms may yet prove the stumbling block for Aguero, on
target in London for Atletico against Paris St-Germain in the
pre-season Emirates Cup on Sunday.
The Argentine wanted weekly wages close to £200,000 a week when
there was initial interest from Chelsea and United at the start of
the transfer window but he will have to lower his demands to secure
a move to the Barclays Premier League.
Spot on: Chelsea are keen on Atletico Madrid
striker Sergio Aguero - but his wage demands could prove a
potential stumbling block
Talk to Franck: Ribery is another Blues target and
the Frenchman is eager to quit Bayern Munich
Ancelotti, though, has identified the need for more
energy in Chelsea's attack, which is why he is encouraging
Abramovich to force through deals for Aguero and Ribery, either of
which would break Manchester
City's British transfer record of £34m
for Robinho.
United have also shown an interest in Ribery, as have Barcelona
and Real Madrid during a summer of transfer rumours surrounding the
winger, but Chelsea believe they will have the edge in the race for
the French international, who wants to leave Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid, Ribery's first choice of destination, have cooled
their interest since landing Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo and
Abramovich, who has pursued the gifted 26-year-old through the
summer, is prepared to go through the £40m barrier to add Ribery's
raw pace to his experienced Chelsea squad.
Bayern insist Ribery must honour his contract with the German
side but this stance will be tested by the millions on offer as the
days tick towards the transfer deadline at the end of the
month.