According to a report in today's El Mundo, Roman Abramovich's Chelsea have offered Real Madrid around seventy million euros for Spain centre-back, Sergio Ramos (photo, right). And it seems that the Bernabeu board is giving the offer careful consideration, offering, as it does, not only a way out of the club's current financial difficulties, but also as a possible first step towards a mega-summer signing with Cristiano Ronaldo still top of the wish-list.

For his part, however, former Sevilla star Ramos, whose current contract does not expire until 2013, and who has already been guaranteed a five-year extension deal to be wrapped up at the end of the season, has never expressed any desire to leave Madrid, where he has already won two domestic league winners' medals since joining the club for €27 million euros in the summer of 2005.