Premiership: Chelsea begin rebuilding programme

Chelsea have already begun their rebuilding programme for an assault on the Premiership crown next season with the signing of William Gallas from Marseille.

The French defender has signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge after a £6.2m fee was agreed with Marseille.

The move represents the first step in Chelsea's public desire to reduce the average age of their squad.

Managing director Colin Hutchinson, who completed the deal for the 23-year-old, said: "He is rated as one of the top defenders in France and can play anywhere across the back."

His arrival cleared the way for the expected departure of Frank Leboeuf this summer, although the Frenchman still has to find a new club in either France or Spain.

And Hutchinson has agreed to allow Gustavo Poyet to leave after the midfielder handed in a written transfer request.

Poyet, 33, has been unhappy with his failure to secure a regular starting place over the past couple of months and has decided to seek a final new challenge in his career.

Hutchinson revealed: "Gus has put in a written transfer request and we have reluctantly agreed to put him on the transfer list."

While Chelsea have not yet received any formal offers, it is thought the Uruguay international may be in favour of staying in London.

Fulham and Tottenham are among those clubs who could be interested although Chelsea would be looking for a transfer fee in the region of £2m.

Poyet is leaving after four years at the club, during which time the talkative midfielder has become a firm favourite with the fans.

Despite two serious knee injuries, he has regularly found the net and memorably scored the two goals against Newcastle which secured Chelsea's FA Cup final place last season.

However, coach Claudio Ranieri has been using fresher legs in midfield and Poyet, who has only one year left on his contract at Chelsea, has found himself increasingly on the bench.

Chelsea did not want to sell Poyet, but the midfielder has left them with no option just a month after a public blast in which he admitted he was running out of time to win trophies in his career.

He declared at the time: "It makes me sad to say it but I cannot see a bright future for me at Chelsea.

"I want to have the chance to finish my career at a club where I have a real chance of winning the championship.

"Everyone knows I would die for this club. When I came here four years ago, I really believed Chelsea was the club where I would win a league title."

But despite a series of meetings with Ranieri since then, Poyet has decided that he needs to move.