Chelsea close in on Crespo deal
Saturday, 23 August 2003 11:40Hernan Crespo took a step closer to joining Chelsea only hours after representatives from Inter Milan failed to reach agreement with the London club. According to Inter president Massimo Moratti, the deal - the value of which is rumoured to be around ¤26 million - is virtually done. "It wasn't Inter who initiated talks again, it was more the player's representatives who came up with a solution," said Moratti, in reference to Friday's stall in negotiations over the player's terms. "And of course, the (Chelsea) offer was particularly interesting," added Moratti, although the official transfer fee has not been made public.
Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has been snapping up some of the game's top stars ahead of next week's transfer deadline on August 31 and has been given an open chequebook by the billionaire owner of the club, Roman Abramovich. If Crespo eventually joins Chelsea he will become the eighth major addition under Abramovich and take the oil magnate's astonishing summer spending spree from Stg£74.4 million towards Stg£100million.
28-year-old Crespo, who has struck 19 goals in 36 international appearances and more then 100 goals in the Italian championship, only joined Inter a year ago from Lazio. His departure, however, is believed to have miffed the man Chelsea had originally targeted - Italian Christian Vieri, who, according to reports in Italy, is angry at Inter's willingness to sell.
Filed by James Boylan
