Avram Grant has hired high-profile lawyer Anthony Julius in his compensation battle with Chelsea.

The Times says the Israeli has appointed Julius, one of the country's most high-profile solicitors and best known for representing Diana, Princess of Wales, in her divorce from the Prince of Wales, to negotiate his severance terms.

Grant is understood to have been unhappy with the payoff offered by Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, after two days of talks over the weekend, as it contrasted unfavourably with the £12 million José Mourinho received in the wake of his dismissal last September. He has brought in Julius to help secure him a better deal.