Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is seriously weighing up a move for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. The Daily Mail says Guardiola and Abramovich have met in the past, a chance meeting, some time ago, but the Russian is understood to have been impressed by his intelligence, humility and charisma.
He is an admirer of his work on the pitch too. Who isn't? Guardiola's agent claims six clubs have been in touch as football's grapevine twitches with whispers that his client is seeking a new challenge.
Guardiola is not getting on well with Sandro Rosell, who is proving to be every inch the interfering new president the coach feared he would when refusing to extend his own contract by more than 12 months at the end of last season.
At the same time, the Barca coach has let his fondness for English football be known and, like several high-profile personalities has been watching Manchester United for signs that Sir Alex Ferguson might soon retire.
Chelsea were quick to shoot down the idea that they had made contact, although it is worth noting that Abramovich started to court Carlo Ancelotti more than a year before he arrived at Stamford Bridge.
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