Chelsea are to swoop for Manchester City star Robinho at the end of the season.

The News of the World says Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has made it clear the London club MUST buy the Manchester City star. There was even a chance a deal could have been struck before the end of the January transfer window but that was torpedoed by City boss Mark Hughes.

A plan which would have seen Didier Drogba go to Eastlands for £27million was hatched with City paying three instalments of £9m for the Ivory Coast striker. That would have seen Chelsea pay just £6m to bring Robinho to the Bridge. But the swap floundered after Hughes insisted he wanted Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz rather than Drogba.

But there are doubts over whether Hughes will still be in charge in the summer which would clear the way for the deal.

A well-placed source said: "It is all very complicated and there's a lot of people involved. Some things could get ugly but Robinho will end up a Chelsea player in the summer."