Porto’s Falcao could follow Villas-Boas to Chelsea

THE worst kept secret in football came out in the open last night as Chelsea confirmed they hope to appoint Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager.

Villas-Boas tendered his resignation with the Porto earlier yesterday and last night’s confirmation of the receipt of the compensation payment — reported to be €15 million — paves the way for the Portuguese coach to move on to a new club.

The arrival of Villas-Boas could also spark a transfer frenzy at Stamford Bridge.

One of his first moves as the new Blues boss could be to sign Porto’s star striker Falcao, the £25m-rated Colombian having impressed as the Dragons won the Europa League final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, where the 25-year-old netted the only goal against Braga.

That could then signal the departure of Didier Drogba, with AC Milan said to be ready to offer the veteran Ivory Coast striker a fresh start in Italy.

Tottenham’s talented Croat Luka Modric could also be on Villa-Boas’s radar.

Chelsea confirmed their intention to install the 33-year-old as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who was unceremoniously axed at the end of last season just 12 months after guiding the club to a league and FA Cup double.

“We note that the release clause of Andre Villas-Boas has been activated,” a Chelsea club statement read.

“We can at this time confirm our interest in him and hope to reach agreement with him on personal terms and make a further announcement in the near future.”

Porto confirmed in a statement to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission, that the full buyout clause had been met by Villas-Boas himself, although it is likely to have come via the deep pockets of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who has already spent millions in cutting short contracts of previous managers and players.

Porto have moved swiftly to appoint a replacement coach, with Vitor Pereira stepping up into the hot seat after apparently turning down the chance to move to England with Villas-Boas.

It had appeared that Guus Hiddink — who enjoyed a successful spell as caretaker boss at Chelsea in 2008-09 — was set to take up a sporting director role at Stamford Bridge once his exit from the Turkish Football Federation was agreed, with compensation set at around €4.5m.

However, it now seems that scenario failed to get off the ground as Chelsea turned their attentions to appointing an up-and-coming coach to oversee first-team affairs.

Villas-Boas would certainly fit the bill and is also no stranger to the west London club, having worked there under Jose Mourinho.