Chelsea plan 4m Johnson move - and will loan him back to Middlesbrough
20 Nov 2009 - 10:48:59
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has registered his interest in signing Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson in a £4million move that would see the promising England Under-21 winger immediately loaned back to the Championship club.
Capital calling: Chelsea want £4m-rated ace Johnson
Blues owner Roman Abramovich is ready to bankroll bids for a host of players on the Italian coach's New Year wish-list - including a £50m bid for Argentine hitman Sergio Aguero - after the Court of Abritration for Sport successfully appealed FIFA's transfer embargo imposed on the London club over the controverisial signing of Gael Kakuta.
And with Johnson's Riverside contract set to expire at the end of the season, Boro are keen to cash in on the highly-rated midfielder who has attracted the attention of Sunderland, Everton and Spanish giants Real Madrid.
But with Boro boss Gordon Strachan desperate to retain the 22-year-old's services to boost the club's chances of an instant return back to the Barclays Premier League, Chelsea's offer would ultimately prove the most lucrative on the table.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are said to be willing to send the star back to Teeside for the remainder of the campaign before introducing him to their first team next term.
Johnson recently admitted he wants to play his football at the highest level and a deal to link-up with former Boro team-mate Ross Turnbull could tempt him to move south.
But Johnson is regarded by the Blues hierachy as one for the future and his immediate first team chances would seemingly be limited with the likes of Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Yuri Zhirkov, all left-sided, ahead of him in the pecking order.
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