Chelsea are set to win the battle to sign Barcelona forward Ronaldinho and with it hand Mark Hughes his first defeat as Manchester City manager courtesy of Luis Felipe Scolari's appointment.
Having fallen out of favour at the Nou Camp due to a combination of poor form and managerial change and with Josep Guardiola replacing Frank Rijkaard at the Catalan club, clubs around Europe have been circling for two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho.Both sets of owners, Roman Abramovich of Chelsea and Thaksin Shinawatra of City, are set to bankroll their club's summer spending as they look to strengthen their squads before the new campaign begins in August.
The announcement of Hughes as manager at the City of Manchester stadium appeared to nudge the Eastland side into pole position to sign the Brazilian wizard, but Chelsea's own managerial arrival seems to have handed The Blues the impetus.
Scolari managed a Brazil side containing Ronaldinho to World Cup success in 2002 and is reportedly set on a reunion with the 28-year old when he starts his tenure in West London on 1st July.
And despite Shinawatra reportedly set to offer the skillful forward £150,000 a week to tempt him to City, Abramovich has courted the player since he arrived at Chelsea in 2003 and could more than match their rivals' financial packages.
Speaking to a Portuguese newspaper, Record, Ronaldinho said: "I am Gaucho (name given to those from the Rio Grande do Sul area of Brazil) like Scolari.
"I won the World Cup with him in 2002. I grew a lot with him and it would be a pleasure to cross paths with him again."
Any club hoping to win the race to sign the mesmorising attacker will have to match Barcelona's £30 million price tag.
goal.com
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