Chelsea looking to offload Russian wing-back
Sources suggest that Yuri Zhirkov will be the first of the big names to depart Stamford Bridge under the new management of Andre Villas-Boas.
The club are thought to be considering bids for Newcastle full-back, Jose Enrique, and Alvaro Pereira, who played under Villas-Boas during the manager’s triumphant reign at Porto.
Zhirkov’s playing time has been limited since his arrival from CSKA Moscow two years ago, suffering several knee injuries and being relegated to a spot on the bench.
The left-sided defender, who is capable of playing on the wing, is rumoured to be the subject of interest from Anzhi Makhachkala. Rubin Kazan, Zenit St. Petersburg and Dynamo Moscow are also apparently interested in the Russian.
At the end of last season, the Russian international commented: “Unfortunately at Chelsea I haven’t had enough match practice in the last season. I want to play football and not sit on the bench.”
Zhirkov is thought to be available for around £10m.
