Football: Chelsea’s bid for Meireles fails

LONDON: Chelsea have targeted Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles and had an offer of around £7 million plus Yossi Benayoun rejected for the Portugal international. Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas worked with Meireles at FC Porto and is keen to strengthen the club’s central midfield after failure to land Spurs star Luka Modric and an injury to Michael Essien. However Liverpool are not keen to let Meireles join one of their rivals at the Premier League for such a low sum and are also not interested in having Benayoun back.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2011.