Love for Chelsea

Chelsea are ready to launch a £15million bid for Brazilian International Vagner Love at Russian club CSKA Moscow in the summer, with the striker being lined up as a replacement for Didier Drogba, who is expected to leave the Premier league side at the end of the season.

30-year-old Drogba has been widely tipped to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, with Inter Milan, who are coached by former Blues manager Jose Mourinho reportedly ready to reunite the Ivory Coast International with Mourinho at the San Siro.

Mourinho’s admiration of Drogba is well documented, with the Nerazzurii boss a big fan of the powerful striker, having signed the Ivorian for Chelsea in 2004 from Marseille.

Should Drogba leave the Premiership club for Serie A at the end of this campaign, then Chelsea are understood to be ready to offer CSKA £15million to lure 24-year-old Love away from the Luzhniki Stadium, with the Brazilian believed to be keen on a move to the Premier League.

The Blues along with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City had been linked with Love in January, while Everton were reportedly very close to landing the Brazilian striker on a season-long loan at Goodison Park last summer.

Love revealed recently that Spurs had an offer rejected by CSKA in January and the Brazilian also suggested that he will move on from the Russian club in the future, with England, Spain or Italy his preferred destinations.

Love said recently: “I received an offer from Tottenham, but our president rejected it because it was not sufficient according to him.

“The rest was speculation. I'm under contract until mid-2010 with CSKA.

“But I'm still thinking of playing for a top European league, in Spain, England or Italy. It will happen at the right time.”

With just a year remaining on the striker’s deal at CSKA in the summer, an offer in the region of £15million is understood to be enough to secure the signature of Love, with the Russian club likely to cash in rather than risk losing a large transfer fee for the Brazilian.