According to reports from The Daily Star this afternoon, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic will use his personal ties to beat Manchester United to Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel.
The Belgium international joined the Russian outfit for a whopping €40million in summer 2012 after an impressive season at Benfica, and made 28 appearances last season as they clinched the Premier League title.
After three campaigns of consistent form, the 26 year-old is widely expected to leave Petrovsky stadium this summer. AC Milan were keen on a deal but club CEO Adriano Galliani has now admitted their pursuit of the 6 foot 1 midfielder is over, whilst The Daily Star claim Chelsea and Manchester United are both targeting his signature.
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And according to the British tabloid, Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich intends to use his personal ties to ensure Witsel opts for the Premier League champions over the Old Trafford outfit.
Citing Belgian radio station RTBF, they claim Abramovic is close friends with Zenit counterpart Alexander Dyukov Valeryevich, and will fly out to Russia personally to thrash out a deal.
It’s believed Chelsea are willing to pay around £24million, viewing the former Standard Liege star as the perfect replacement for wantaway enforcer John Obi Mikel.
another russian buy destined for the bench like so many at chelsea and city…..