There was good news and bad news for Chelsea fans as their side embarked on a whistle-stop tour of America on Thursday.First came word that Didier Drogba's four-game European ban for his behaviour in the wake of last season's acrimonious Champions League tie with Barcelona had been reduced, on appeal, to three matches. That was the good news.
The bad came in the form of rumours that the Ivory Coast striker might be joined at Stamford Bridge next season by Diego Forlan, a player whose two-year spell at Manchester United has rendered him a laughing stock in the eyes of many English football followers. It has been suggested that Forlan could be on his way to Stamford Bridge for an eye-watering £31m, the value of the release clause in his current contract with Atletico Madrid, although it is not just the size of the fee which has caused eyebrows to raise in west London.
A move for Forlan, who has rebuilt his reputation in Spanish football at both Atletico and Villarreal, who signed him from United in 2004, also appears to be at odds with Chelsea's most obvious requirements ahead of the new season.
New manager Carlo Ancelotti had been expected to target a playmaker to inject some subtlety into a midfield which can be mired in predictability against top-class opponents.
Kaka, Franck Ribery and Andrea Pirlo have all been linked with moves to the Blues this summer and while the likelihood of those A-listers joining Ancelotti's squad has diminished, Stamford Bridge officials are known to have drawn up a list of alternative targets.
That helps to explain the surprise at the mooted interest in Forlan, a move which could also darken the mood of Nicolas Anelka.
The French striker found himself slipping behind Drogba in the pecking order towards the end of last season and Forlan's arrival would deal another substantial blow to his hopes of establishing himself as Ancelotti's preferred spearhead next term.
