Portuguese playmaker Deco was brought to West London from Barcelona last summer for a fee of £8m and he enjoyed an excellent start to his career with the Blues. However, the 31-year-old struggled for appearances and form during the second half of the campaign, and is now seeking an exit.
Roman Abramovich is prepared to take advantage of Liverpool's own money worries by making the sort of offer he hopes Gillett and Hicks will not be able to refuse.
The Brazilian-born midfielder joined Chelsea from Barcelona last summer and after a bright start to life with the Blues he has been reduced to the periphery at the club following the sacking of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Deco has now made no bones about his wish to quit Chelsea after becoming disillusioned with life at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea came from behind to win 2-1 at Wembley after Everton's Louis Saha had scored the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final.
It took just 25 seconds for Saha to break the deadlock with a well-struck volley. The Blues continued to dominate possession for the rest of the first half, and Chelsea quickly regained their composure and equalised through a Didier Drogba header on 21 minutes.
There were few clear-cut opportunities but both sides maintained a high tempo in soaring temperatures and the crucial goal arrived after 72 minutes as Frank Lampard crashed a powerful shot past Tim Howard from distance.
David Beckham believes Chelsea would be getting "one of the greats" if they lure AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti to Stamford Bridge. He also added, every single one of the Milan players adores him and doesn't want him to go. They are pleading with him to stay.
The former England skipper has spent the second half of the season playing under Ancelotti at the San Siro. Beckham claims that he have been lucky in his career to play under a few of the best in the business and Ancelotti comes into that category.
John Terry believes he has rediscover his best form after the arrival of interim coach Guus Hiddink. The Dutch coach transformed the Blues after agreeing to replace axed Felipe Scolari in February.
The Chelsea captain Terry has played 48 club games this season, and his next appearance, the 403rd, will put him in the Blues' top 10 of all time. He is pleased overall with his form, he acknowledges that he only got back to his best when Hiddink arrived.
chelseamag.blogspot.comChelsea striker Nicolas Anelka seems unlikely to leave the club in the summer after his agent insisted he was happy at the club. The France international has found himself on the bench following the arrival of Guus Hiddink as interim manager, with Didier Drogba back in favour, despite him being the Premier League's leading scorer for much of the campaign.
The lack of first team action led to rumours that the 29-year-old wished to move on. Anelka is no stranger to transfers having already played for Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahçe and Bolton Wanderers.
Chelsea warmed up for their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona next week with a comfortable 3-1 win over west London neighbours Fulham.
Goals from Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba ensured Chelsea also kept the heat on second-placed Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League.
Manchester United has issued an early warning to Liverpool as they destroyed Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils begin the match nervously as the Blues seem to have made the earlier impact. Park Ji Sung and Berbatov missed the chances to open the scoring.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Cavalho were shown yellow cards as both Portuguese argued with each other. Nemanja Vidic scored from a corner right after Ronaldo's goal was disallowed.
Things were just not right for Felipe Scolari's team as Didier Drogba missed golden opportunities to bring them back into the game. Big names like Deco, Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole also failed to impress. Wayne Rooney scored a second from Patrice Evra cross and Berbatov completed the Devil's feast with a lightning tap in from Ronaldo's cross,
Southend became the latest side to make the most of Chelsea's home jitters and John Terry's enforced absence by claiming a deserved 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. However, Luiz Felipe Scolari insists the absence of suspended Terry has not been the reason behind a string of defensive lapses.
The Blues dominated the game but once again their poor finishing let them down. Terry, banned for three games following his red card in the goalless draw at Everton, watched his teammates draw with Southend. But Scolari insists his absence was not a factor in another disappointing home draw, it was the consequence of missed chances.
BOLA BOYZ CHELSEA
It is though a draw that may steal the headlines in Sunday's papers, as Chelsea's Stamford Bridge blues continued with Southend coming away from West London with a 1-1 draw. Chelsea dominated the match from the outset and took the lead through Salomon Kalou after he headed in Frank Lampard's corner on 31 minutes.
Southend defender Peter Clarke hit the bar on 82 minutes following teenage full-back Johnny Herd's cross. But Clarke would not be denied a second time as he headed Herd's throw-in in front of 6000 away fans.
Frank Lampard insists Chelsea have the fighting spirit required to mount a title challenge in the new year. The London side drew three of their four games over the Christmas fortnight and head into 2009 three points behind Premier League pace-setters Liverpool. Manchester United will overhaul Chelsea if they win all three of their games in hand, making the Blues' trip to Old Trafford on January 11 a vital fixture. Chelsea have dropped 11 points from their last available 21 but Lampard is confident they can rekindle the resilience that carried them to the title under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006.
Lampard, sporting the captain's armband with John Terry suspended, embodied that attitude at Craven Cottage where he was Chelsea's outstanding player. Unfortunately for Scolari the same attention to detail was not evident at the back as Lampard's best efforts were undone by poor set-piece defending.
BOLA BOYZ CHELSEA
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has revealed he became disillusioned with football over the summer. Drogba had a troubled end to last season and was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, while he was criticised by fans for not trying hard enough. Moreover, the Ivory Coast international did himself no favours as he was sent off in the Champions League final defeat to Manchester United at the end of the campaign.
