Football News

English tabloid The Star claims to have inside information regarding Chelsea's January transfer plans.It has appeared as though boss Luiz Felipe Scolari would have to take his squad 'as is' into the New Year, as the board have seemed unwilling to splash out in the January transfer market.

However, the report claims that the Brazilian boss is winning his boardroom battle to have some cash injected into the Blues' glory push. Now, he could be set to be given the option of pursuing one of his two main targets: Luis Fabiano or Andrei Arshavin.

Spanish outfit Sevilla are reluctant to sell Luis Fabiano, but they crashed out of the UEFA Cup ahead of schedule and the player could now start looking elsewhere.

Arshavin is a more achievable target, as Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, the UEFA Cup holders, fully expect him to move on sooner rather than later.

Indeed, fresh gossip had already linked the 27-year-old with the Blues, with the player set on an imminent move to "Spain or England."

The Sun reported this week that Zenit general manager Maxim Mitrofanov had given Arshavin the green light to negotiate with other clubs and the new claims suggest that his people have been doing just that with the beaks of Stamford Bridge.

Whether Roman Abramovich, Peter Kenyon, Bruce Buck and the rest of the Pensioners supremos have really softened up on their winter transfer policy remains to be seen, but Scolari is sure to have given them an ear-bashing.