Chelsea close to manager appointment

Chelsea could have a new manager in place by the end of the week – with Porto admitting they would be powerless to prevent Andre Villas-Boas from heading to Stamford Bridge should the Barclays Premier League club trigger his €15m release clause.

Dragons coach Villas-Boas has emerged as the leading contender to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who was unceremoniously axed at the end of last season, just 12 months after guiding the west London club to a historic double.