Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in talks with Bayern Munich over Franck Ribery deal

11 August 2009 08:14
The Russian billionaire has made no secret of his desire to see the Frenchman at Stamford Bridge and it seems he is willing to break a British club record to ensure the deal goes through. According to a report in the Sun, Abramovich has contacted Bayern's general manager Uli Hoeness, and the paper quotes a club source as saying: "Uli was taken by surprise by the phone call but was very honest and courteous with Mr Abramovich. "We are still resolved to keep Ribery but Hoeness agreed to meet with Abramovich in Germany to discuss any offer." Chelsea will not be without competition in their race to sign the midfielder who has been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona throughout the summer. Real remain favourites to land the 26-year-old who has admitted to dreaming of playing at the Bernabeu, but he may be put off by the number of big-name signings Florentino Perez has made this summer and opt to go to a club with whom he is guaranteed to play a regular role. Meanwhile, Chelsea have been told in no uncertain terms by AC Milan that they do not stand a chance of signing 19-year-old Alexandre Pato. The Italian club denied weekends reports suggesting a deal had been agreed between the clubs, and released a statement which said: "With regards to the rumours circulated this morning by the English press, AC Milan clarify and reaffirm that there are no negotiations ongoing with Chelsea regarding Alexandre Pato, and that the player is absolutely non transferable."

Source: Telegraph