Chelsea manager Roberto
di Matteo insists his club won’t be forced to pay over the odds by
rivals looking to take advantage of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.
Di Matteo had hoped to
sign Wigan forward Victor Moses in time for this weekend’s opening round
of Premier League matches, but instead the Nigerian will line up
against the European champions when they travel to the DW Stadium on
Sunday.
Wigan owner Dave Whelan
has angered Chelsea by talking publicly about their negotiations over
Moses in a bid to drive up the 21-year-old’s transfer fee.
Whelan claims Chelsea
may lose Moses to a rival bidder unless they stop messing about, but Di
Matteo, who has also been frustrated in his attempts to sign Porto
forward Hulk and Marseille right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, is adamant
Abramovich won’t be held to ransom.
The Russian has already
sanctioned £60 million ($94.1m) worth of spending on Eden Hazard, Oscar
and Marko Marin since the end of last season, but he won’t let other
clubs take advantage of his desire to rebuild Di Matteo’s squad.
“I think that goes for many teams, not just for us. We’re not going to pay over the top,” Di Matteo said on Friday.
“What we think is the real value for a player, we have paid.”
Di Matteo also refused
to be drawn on any developments in Chelsea’s interest in Moses, Hulk and
Azpilicueta, saying, “There won’t be anybody coming in for Sunday.”
Moses may not relish the
prospect of playing against a club he could be joining before the
transfer window closes on August 31, but Di Matteo knows Chelsea’s
defenders will still have to keep a close eye on their potential
signing.
“We’ve played against
him before – we know very well what ability he has,” he said. “He’s a
young, talented guy… that plays for Wigan.”
Di Matteo wouldn’t say if
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