Chelsea fear being outbid by Manchester City for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero. The Times says Chelsea will intensify their attempts to reach an agreement with Atlético Madrid for the transfer of Agüero over the next few days amid fears that they could be gazumped by Manchester City.

Agüero's advisers have informed Chelsea that City have also made an inquiry about the Argentina striker, who scored two brilliant goals against the West London club in the 2-2 Champions League draw in Madrid last month. Atlético are asking £50 million for the 21-year-old, with Chelsea nowhere near meeting that valuation.

Many at Chelsea have painful memories of being humiliated by City when Sheikh Mansour's club bought Robinho as the transfer window closed 15 months ago, and are determined to prevent a repeat, having been tracking Agüero for more than a year.