Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea on red alert as cash-strapped Valencia admit Villa could go for £40m
David Villa has moved a step closer to joining Chelsea after Valencia's vice-president admitted they would struggle to hold on to their top players this summer.
Roman Abramovich has already told players at Stamford Bridge that he will break the British transfer record to pay £40million for Spain striker Villa.
And the Spanish club, who are saddled with massive debts, are ready to drop their resistance to offers after the admission by Fernando Gomez Colomer that they may have to choose between selling the Euro 2008 top scorer or attacking midfielder David Silva.
'The fans know that we will do all we can to keep them here, but we cannot rule anything out because of our financial situation,' he said. 'We have to put the future of Valencia first.'
The former international midfielder, who had a spell at Wolves in the late Nineties, could be seen to be softening up the Mestalla faithful for the loss of one of their stars.
Chelsea would face competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona for Villa, while Silva has been linked to Juventus, Liverpool and Manchester United among others.
Even if Valencia claim the financial boost from qualifying for the Champions League, it is unlikely to fill enough of a black hole to keep the pair.
