Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is ready to help Chelsea land AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. The Mirror says Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will agree to release Guus Hiddink from his short-term deal at Stamford Bridge in the summer so he can focus his efforts on Russia's World Cup campaign.

In exchange, Putin will assist Abramovich in prising Ancelotti away from Milan.

Putin has close links with AC Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and will do his bit to make things easier for all concerned.

Under Italian regulations, Chelsea would not have to pay any compensation to Milan even though Ancelotti has two years left on his current San Siro deal, and his basic net salary of £3.5m per year is more than affordable for the Blues, even in their newly-restricted financial circumstances.