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PREMIER LEAGUE: CHELSEA AGREE OVER BELLETTI DEAL August 23, 2007
(SomaliNet) Chelsea have agreed a fee for Barcelona right-back Juliano Belletti, effectively bringing to an end their pursuit of Daniel Alves.
The signing will go ahead subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms, while the fee is expected to be relatively small, around the £2 million mark.
Belletti is a Brazil international, but will not require a work permit as he also holds an Italian passport.
The 31-year-old scored the winner against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final, but has faded from Frank Rijkaard's first-team plans.
Belletti's relatively advanced years mean he can only be viewed as a short-term option, but his signing underlines the lack of faith Jose Mourinho has in Paulo Ferreira and Glen Johnson.
Chelsea have tabled several bids for Sevilla's Daniel Alves, but are unwilling to match the Andalusian club's £27m asking price - despite the £24.5m sale of Arjen Robben to Real Madrid.
Their refusal to sign Alves is a sign of a desire to shake off their 'soft touch' reputation in the transfer market.
Roman Abramovich's vast wealth led clubs to charge inflated prices for players, with Marseille and Lyon both collecting in excess of £24m for Didier Drogba and Michael Essien.
However massive the players' fees, both men have established themselves as key players in Mourinho's squad, and Chelsea fans may be concerned at this refusal to splash out - particularly with Manchester United spending so freely.- Eurosport