Chelsea have been dominant in their first two games of the season, but apparently are not satisfied with a pair of 6-0 victories. The club are poised to make world-record bid for a defender to enhance their bid to retain the Premier League title and win the Champions League. Sources close to Chelsea have acknowledged that they want to lure Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid in a £30 million (Dh170m) transfer.
The most spent on a defender previously was the £29m Manchester United paid Leeds United for Rio Ferdinand, the England international, eight years ago. Ramos, who can play at right back and centre half, was integral to Spain's World Cup triumph in the summer. But after taking Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, the Real Madrid coach, has advised his club's hierarchy that they should cash in Ramos.
A Carvelho-Ramos swap deal was never going to happen, however, because of the complexities brought up by the players' respective agents. Despite a great start to the season, Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, feels he must shore up his defence, and Ramos is seen as an ideal partner for John Terry. Chelsea also want sign a new goalkeeper as cover or even competition for Petr Cech. The main target is Stoke's Asmir Begovic.
But Chelsea's pursuit of Begovic could end up being ugly or even in court. Begovic, the Bosnia and Herzegovina goalkeeper, is wanted by Ancelotti to provide stronger back-up for Cech. Chelsea already have had one bid turned down by Stoke for the 23-year-old, who reportedly refused to play in the club's 2-1 Carling Cup second-round victory against Shrewsbury Tuesday night. In a complex twist Fulham may turn to signing Begovic thus allowing them to sell Mark Schwarzer, the Australian goalkeeper to Arsenal.
But Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, has insisted Begovic is going nowhere. "I do not think our chairman Peter Coates will be pushed around," Pulis said. "Obviously people have been blowing in his Begovic's ear. "We won't be giving him away and doing a deal because of what he has done." Begovic himself has denied that he declined to play in the cup tie, and has the support of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).
The goalkeeper has been in touch with the Professional Footballers' Association and says there was a misunderstanding. The Bosnian, who arrived from Portsmouth last season, has been linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium. However, he is apparently distraught at suggestions he failed to turn up for work. Bobby Barnes, the PFA deputy chief executive, said: "The PFA would not condone a player refusing to play for his club. But Asmir was at great pains to make it clear to me and the wider public that at no stage had he actually said that he refused to play for the club."
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