/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/3097518/GYI0065239054.jpg)
Reliable sources from Portugal have indicated that manager Andre Villas Boas has terminated his contract with Poroto by paying a 15M release clause and is therefore free to move to Chelsea in short order. This news follows 24 hours of giddy speculation about the likelihood of Villas Boas being the man to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge, and it's looking like it's now an inevitability that Chelsea will announce him as their next permanent manager.
O FC Porto recebeu, esta terça-feira, um fax de André Villas-Boas, em que o técnico anuncia que rescinde o seu contrato com o clube, informou fonte oficial do FC Porto à Agência Lusa.
Villas Boas vai pagar os 15 milhões da cláusula de rescisão e fica livre para assinar contrato com o Chelsea, com o qual já estará comprometido.
Google translate time...
On Tuesday Porto received a fax from André Villas-Boas in which the coach announced that he was terminating his contract with the club, an official from the club told the Lusa Agency.
Villas Boas will pay a €15 million termination clause and is free to sign with Chelsea, with whom a deal has already been agreed.
So, Villas Boas has officially left Porto. He has not officially joined on with Chelsea, but it would be a huge shock at this point if he doesn't. He's coming to Stamford Bridge, and sensible money is on the move being announced within the next forty-eight hours. If you're a Villas Boas fan (and who isn't?) it's time to start getting ready to be very happy.
There are other rumours floating about, of course, including one that says Radamel Falcao might be joining his manager at Chelsea (fueled by his agent), but that makes far less sense - Falcao is an excellent centre forward but on a roster with both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres he simply isn't a fit. Hulk, on the other hand... now that would be interesting.