Chelsea have lodged a £10million bid for Tottenhams Pascal
Chimbonda. Jose Mourinho has identified Chimbonda as the man to
fill the problem right-back position at Stamford Bridge after being
impressed by the France defenders debut season at Spurs. And while
Martin Jol would be reluctant to lose his talented defender,
Sportsmail understands that the chance to make a £5m profit on the
player who moved from Wigan last summer may be too good to turn
down.
Mourinho has turned to Chimbonda after uninspiring performances at
right back by Paulo Ferreira, Khalid Boulahrouz and Geremi this
season. Although Glen Johnson will return to Chelsea after a season
on loan at Portsmouth, he is likely to play understudy to Chimbonda
should the bid be successful.
Chimbonda has been a regular in Jols starting line-up this season,
making 49 appearances in all competitions, and he has revealed his
desire to stay with Spurs. He said: "Im very happy at Tottenham
and really enjoyed my first season with the club. I hope that
continues next year. Im totally focused on Tottenham and have
three years left on my contract."
Meanwhile, Tottenhams path to the £6m capture of Southampton left
back Gareth Bale appears to have been cleared with Manchester
United unwilling to match their bid. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
is a committed fan of the 17-year-old Wales defender, but considers
a transfer fee which could rise to £10m to be too expensive.
