Genk’s de Bruyne prepares for move to Stamford Bridge

The Belgian champions confirmed the 20-year-old was in London yesterday to seal a reported £6.7m transfer on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
They also said the winger would be loaned back for the rest of the season.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas had insisted the transfer has nothing to do with him and that it was down to “club policy for the future”.

He explained: “It’s a target that’s decided by the club, that I knew about for quite some time.
“In the sense that it’s the club policy for the future, it’s the right thing [to buy him] and I’ll do everything in my power for him to reach maximum potential.
“But it’s down to the club in decision-making. I’m a manager who respects club policy.

“A club has to look to the future, whether it’s with this manager or another. He’s a good bet for the future.”
De Bruyne has scored five goals and also made 16 assists last season as Genk were crowned Belgian champions for the third time.
He has played twice against Chelsea this season, appearing for Genk in the 5-0   Champions League group stage defeat at Stamford Bridge and again in the 1-1 draw at the Cristal Arena.

His international debut came in August 2010 in a friendly against Finland.
He will become the third Belgian player signed by Villas-Boas following the arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
Meanwhile the Chelsea boss has confirmed he will give captain John Terry time off to deal with his current legal issues, if required.

Terry, 31, will arrive at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday to answer a charge of using racist language against QPR defender  Anton Ferdinand, an accusation the player   denies.
The centre-back has continued to play for his club since the charge was brought in December, but his manager admits he is prepared to give the player time off if it is needed in order to prove his innocence.
However, the Portuguese is hopeful that will not be necessary. “Eventually, if it is important for the justice, we will do it,” Villas-Boas said, when asked about the possibility of giving Terry a leave of absence.

However, he added: “You have seen with the  off-field events, we haven’t stopped using John, and his level of performance has not been affected. If that continues to be the case, we will continue to do it.”
Terry came up against Ferdinand for the first time since the alleged incident at the weekend, as Chelsea beat QPR in a controversial FA Cup fourth round tie at Loftus Road.
The England skipper was the subject of abuse from the stands for much of the match, but Villas-Boas praised his ability to ignore the distraction and put in a solid performance.

“He is a player that has been through various situations, situations of stress and great, difficult atmospheres,” he added. “Bearing in mind the events that have happened in the past, he showed that this was just another game for him and he was just interested in football. He had an extremely good performance.”

Chelsea return to Premier League action today, as they travel to Swansea looking to cut the gap on third-placed Tottenham.
In other news Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insists Carlos Tevez has never had a problem with him.
With Tevez now looking increasingly likely to remain at City after the transfer window has closed, Mancini felt the need to address comments made by the player’s advisor Kia Joorabchian on Friday.

Joorabchian claimed Tevez’s relationship with    his manager had never been good and there had been “feuds” with Mancini throughout their time together.
This has come as a surprise to Mancini, who has always got the impression he had a good working relationship with a player he made his skipper at the start of last season.
“Carlos doesn’t have any problem with me,” said the City boss.

It has been claimed Tevez wants to join AC Milan, which is the reason why approaches from Inter Milan and Paris St Germain were unsuccessful.

All three clubs have now said they are out of the running during this transfer window, although it would not entirely be a surprise if there was a last-ditch attempt to sign Tevez from someone.
Presently though, the 27-year-old remains in Argentina, as he has been for over two months.—Soccernet/Daily Mail.