D-day for Ranieri?

Claudio Ranieri’s future could be decided today when he meets Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea coach Ranieri and his agent Jon Smith have a lunchtime meeting scheduled with Abramovich in London.

There has been speculation for several weeks that the Italian would be axed at the end of the recently completed season, during which he led Chelsea to second in the Premiership and the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho, the Porto coach, is favourite to succeed him, and he has so far refused to sign a new contract in Portugal ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League final.

Former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps, who coaches the other finalists Monaco, is also believed to be in the frame.

The expected outcome of today’s meeting is that Abramovich will thank Ranieri for his services and then tell him he is paying off the rest of his contract and he is leaving Stamford Bridge immediately.

However, there is still an outside chance that the Russian billionaire will tell Ranieri that there is still a role of some kind for him at the club.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have claimed that they are anticipating a £20m (€29.9m) bid from Chelsea for Roberto Carlos.

The 31-year-old Brazilian left-back has been in dispute with Real over a new contract and has linked himself with Stamford Bridge before.

But the club’s director of football, Jorge Valdano, is reported this morning as saying: “We are waiting for a fax from Chelsea confirming they will pay the £20m (€29.9m) fee in order to complete the deal.”

However, it is unlikely Chelsea would pay such a fee for a player now in his 30’s, especially as only last summer they signed 24-year-old defender Wayne Bridge, who was one of the club’s most successful new players.