ROMAN ABRAMOVICH will break the bank in an attempt to outbid Manchester City and land Pep Guardiola as Chelsea's new manager this summer with a contract worth more than £17million a year.
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| Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is desperate to land Pep Guardiola |
Guardiola remains Abramovich's top target to replace Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's next long-term manager, and has told friends he is ready to fight City to the end for the Spaniard.
Guardiola,
who announced last week that he would be leaving Bayern in the summer,
is being paid around £16m a year by the German giants, making him the
highest paid coach in the world.
City
are willing to match that salary but Abramovich, who paid Mourinho £13m
a year until he sacked him last week, with Guus Hiddink coming in as
his replacement until the end of this season, is ready to top their
offer.
A source close to Abramovich said: "Pep is the man that Roman wants. He is still the No 1 choice."
City
is still regarded as Guardiola's most likely next move, with the club's
Barcelona connection in the form of director of football Txiki
Begiristain seen as a key attraction for the 44-year-old, who will be
replaced by Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern.
The problem for
Abramovich is that Chelsea have dropped dramatically as an attraction
for any top manager with their dreadful form this season. Unless they
win the Champions League this year they are highly unlikely to qualify
for the competition next season.
In addition,
the squad will need extensive rebuilding, with some big-name players
including unhappy £32m striker Diego Costa looking likely to be
discarded in the summer.
That means that
money will have to be the attraction, as well as living in London.
Guardiola turned down Chelsea once before in 2013, but Abramovich is
still a huge fan of the coach, and the football his teams play.
Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone remains an option for Abramovich if he fails to get Guardiola.
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