Chelsea are ready to launch a £40 million bid for Valencia star David Villa. The Daily Express says the fee would be a British record and would make Valencia star Villa the highest-paid player in the Premier League.

With Didier Drogba away at the African Nations Cup, Chelsea are desperate to boost their forward options this month and Villa has jumped to the top of their wanted list ahead of Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero.

The Stamford Bridge club are believed to have approached Valencia already and have put together a mind-boggling package to head off Manchester United and Real Madrid, and convince Spanish international Villa to move to England.