Kenyon dismisses Ronaldinho speculation

CHELSEA chief executive Peter Kenyon met Barcelona president Joan Laporta for coffee yesterday — butinsisted a move for Ronaldinho was not on the agenda.

Kenyon said Chelsea will not make any last-minute signings before the transfer window closes tonight.

The London club have been linked with Ronaldinho but Kenyondismissed that report — as well as claims of a swap deal involving Shaun Wright-Phillips and Tottenham’sJermaine Defoe, and that JoseMourinho wanted to sign Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma.

Kenyon said: “We are 24 hours away and it’s fair to say that our plans are complete.”

Asked if Laporta might be keen to avoid him, he replied:“Not at all — in fact I’ve just had a coffee with him!”

It is thought Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Roberto de Assis Moreira has been ramping up talk of a move to Chelsea to try to raise the stakes in talks over a new contract with Barcelona.

Ronaldinho is reported to have a buy-out clause in his current contract — but interested parties would have to stump up £83m.

Meanwhile, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o has been ruled out for at least two months with a groin injury.

The Cameroon internationaldamaged a tendon shortly after coming on as a half-time substitute in last night’s match against Inter Milan in the Joan Gamper Trophy.

A Barca statement read: “The estimated time for his recovery will be eight weeks after which he can return to training with the squad. In the next couple of hours we will determine what action we will we take, whether physio will be enough or whether he needs to undergo surgery.”

Eto’o’s injury does at least solve one headache for coach Frank Rijkaard, who has struggled to fit the club’s ‘fab four’ — Eto’o, Leo Messi, Ronaldinho and new signing Thierry Henry – into the starting XI.

Henry started Sunday’s goalless draw at Racing Santander on the bench before replacing Messi.