Chelsea are on the verge of signing Portuguese international Deco from Porto for an estimated €27 million.
The Stamford Bridge club have already taken manager Jose Mourinho and defender Paulo Ferreira from Porto, and Deco is set to become the latest addition to Roman Abramovich's galaxy of stars.
According to the Portuguese daily Record, Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon is due in Porto to thrash out the details of the deal with club officials. Kenyon refused to be drawn on the matter after last night's England-France game at Euro 2004 saying that 'tomorrow will be the time to talk about Deco.'
Mourinho led Porto to Champions League glory recently and may bring in more of his former players to help Chelsea's bid for domestic and Champions League success next season.
Deco's inclusion in Portugal's Euro 2004 squad has caused some dissent in the Portuguese camp. Real Madrid star Luis Figo has voiced his disapproval saying that changing his passport does not make Deco Portuguese. However, Spurs striker Helder Postiga has dismissed claims of a rift in the squad.
He said: "There are no problems on that score. Everything is fine."
Filed by Séamus Leonard
