Chelsea billionaire owner Abramovich reportedly rejects £35m bid from Monaco for Jose Mourinho
The Portuguese is under immense pressure having lost over
60% of games played this season and is a target for the French principality
club, but Abramovich has reportedly rejected a mammoth bid for his coach's
services and wants Mourinho to stay on for a while despite the poor run.
The Ligue 1 side, largely bankrolled by businessman Dmitry
Rybolovlev, offered to buy out the remainder of Mourinho's contract. However,
Blues owner Abramovich has offered him support and has told Monaco's middlemen
he won't sell Mourinho for that price, although it is believed Mourinho could
be got if the fee is doubled to £71m.
According to Sportsmail, Alessandro Proto, a Chelsea
shareholder claims he met Roman Abramovich in London in a bid to prise away
Chelsea's beleaguered manager.
The Russian billionaire rejected the £35m offer on a day his
manager insisted he would remain in London until 2019.
It represents a strong show of faith from Abramovich, who
had been urged to dispense of Mourinho after six League defeats with the
champions lying 15th.
A statement was released by Proto's company, Proto
Enterprises, to a Spanish news agency stating the meeting had taken place in
London earlier in the day.
Proto Enterprises confirmed its authenticity to Sportsmail
on Tuesday night and alleged Abramovich could be interested in accepting should
they double the offer to £71m.