Abramovich’s financial tentacles spread to South America

SPECULATION that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is spreading his financial interests in football to South America has resurfaced in the Russian billionaire’s homeland.

Russia's independent daily business newspaper Kommersant this week reported that Abramovich was behind the E30 million transfer signings of Brazilian club Corinthians, echoing similar claims made before Christmas by Spanish sports daily AS that the Chelsea owner was an influential backer of the London-based group Media Sports Investment.

MSI belongs to Iranian-born businessman Kia Dzhurabchan and the investment vehicle financed the controversial E18m transfer of Argentine Olympic hero Carlos Tevez to Corinthians from Argentina's Boca Juniors.

Both AS and Kommersant reported that Abramovich was providing the financial muscle for MSI's involvement in Corinthians although Dzhurabchan categorically denied the Russian's involvement.

MSI financed the Tevez move as a bonus to Cornithians after it struck a 10-year deal with the club in 2004, which promised to pump in 26.5M cash, about 15m of which was to wipe out the club's debts. The Brazilians will hand over 51% of future profits to MSI in return.

It is not the first time Abramovich has been linked with football clubs other than Chelsea whom he has turned round from debt-ridden also-rans to Premiership leaders In September last year, UEFA

investigated his links with CSKA Moscow when the Russian club was drawn against Chelsea in the group stage of this season's Champions League. CSKA had in the previous March signed a sponsorship deal with the Russian oil company Sibneft, of which Abramovich is the former owner and still the majority shareholder.

UEFA ruled that Abramovich did not have a controlling interest in

CSKA but the relationship between the Muscovites and Chelsea fell under the spotlight again last week when Czech midfielder Jiri Jarosik completed a move from CSKA to Stamford Bridge on a two-and-a-half year deal.

There will be more intrigue, too, when CSKA forward Vagner Love leaves the Russian club during the transfer window and returns to his homeland of Brazil, having agreed terms with Corinthians. Vagner said he had agreed terms for a four-year contract with MSI.

KEVIN CAMPBELL'S transfer from Everton to West Brom will also please the Everton money-men, who were more than happy to negotiate the termination of the striker's

contract after a five-year stay on Merseyside.

The 34-year-old striker and former club captain was left out of the

Everton squad which beat Plymouth 3-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday, as new signing Kevin Beattie made his debut following his move from Southampton.

Campbell had six months of his current deal left to run and was one of Everton's highest-paid players, earning more than 50,000 a week. That means he would have been entitled to more than 1.1m in wages before the end of his contract and hence the club's eagerness to reach an undisclosed agreement to release Campbell ahead of schedule.

On the flip side, Jamie Redknapp's move from Tottenham to Southampton, for whom he signed a six-month contract 10 days ago, was purely in the player's interests.

The midfielder's bench-warming at Spurs this season made no difference to the club from a financial standpoint he was on an earn-as-you-play deal.

TOTTENHAM will be much more concerned, however, about the future of their striker Jermain Defoe, who has been repeatedly been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane this month.

The rumour mill has the England striker off to Chelsea or Barcelona but the English Premier League leaders have distanced themselves from a transfer bid and the Spanish table toppers are unlikely to swoop for a relatively low-profile player.

A more logical reason for the chatter could be that Defoe wants to treble his wages from his current 21,000 a week deal to put him in line with the London club's highest earner, Ireland striker Robbie Keane.

And it is no coincidence that the transfer talk comes halfway through contract negotiations which have been disrupted by Defoe's decision to change agents.

The player last week parted company with SFX and has signed up with Sky Andrew, the agent who incurred the wrath of Spurs fans by delivering Sol Campbell down the Seven Sisters Road to Arsenal three years ago.