Chelsea chasing Roberto Carlos, claims Madrid chief

Real Madrid director of football Jorge Valdano claims left-back Roberto Carlos will complete a £20m (€29.9m) move to Chelsea in the next few days.

The 31-year-old Brazilian star was linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge several months ago but it is reported he will now take up an offer from the Blues which will double his salary to around £120,000 (€179,000) a week.

With new manager Jose Antonio Camacho installed at the Bernabeu in place of Carlos Queiroz, it may be time for Carlos, and possibly some of Madrid’s other star names, to move on following a disastrous finish to the season which saw Real slip to five straight defeats.

Valdano told Spanish daily sports paper AS: “We’re waiting for a fax from Chelsea confirming they will pay the £20m (€29.9m) fee in order to complete the deal,” reports The Times.

Carlos himself has sent out mixed messages over the weekend.

He told BBC Radio Brazil: “I’m leaving Real Madrid, I’m going.”

But after Madrid’s 4-1 defeat by Real Sociedad he was adamant he wanted to stay at Real, saying: “I want to stay at Real Madrid and I think my situation will be sorted out in the next 20 days.

“I am certain I will be here next season. I need a rest now, because I have had a lot of years playing a lot of games.

“I will go home to Brazil on Tuesday, my lawyer will call the club and he will sort things out.”