07/08/2003

Blue skies ahead for Chelsea

Premiership title contenders Chelsea, whose unprecedented spending spree has been the summer's hot sporting topic, have completed the signing of Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron for £15 million.

The Argentinean, who signed up for four years, follows Chelsea's other high-profile recruits: Joe Cole from West Ham (£6.6m); Republic of Ireland World Cup hero Damien Duff from Blackburn (£17m); Wayne Bridge from Southampton (£7m); Geremi from Real Madrid (£7m); and Glen Johnson, also from West Ham (£6m).

All the new signings will be available for the start of Chelsea's Champions' League campaign, having completed their switch before today's deadine.

But that may not be the end of the club's big-money signings before the Premiership returns on August 16. The tabloid back pages all point to Inter Milan's prolific striker Christian Vieri as a potential target.

Despite Inter immediately rushing out the obligatory statement of denial that Vieri would move, speculation will undoubtedly continue unabated.

On the pitch, the new players have already been blooded in a pre-season friendly against First Divison Watford, which saw the Super Blues annihilate the opposition in a 4-1 romp.

The £80 million splurge began in July when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the then cash-strapped club for almost £60 million.

(GB)

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