Villas-Boas likely to become Chelsea new manager

Posted on June 21, 2011 by SoccerPunter

Citing sources close to the talks, Lusa claims the London club have agreed to pay the 15-million-euro ($21.35m) departure clause in Villas-Boas’s contract.

A former assistant to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, 33-year-old Villas-Boas led Porto to three titles in his first season at the club: the Portuguese league title, the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League.

“FC Porto, at the request of the CMVM [Portuguese stock market], hereby informs the market that the coach Andre Villas-Boas, as well as several players, has a termination clause.

“To date, we have not received any communication that this clause will be exercised, nor that the coach agrees to such an aim.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea said they remain confident they will soon be in a position to make a formal announcement on their new manager, but would not say who they are in negotiations with.

Porto president Pinta da Costa said on Monday the club were powerless to prevent Villas-Boas from leaving should his release clause be activated.

He said: “If someone deposits €15million into our account and he wants to go, we cannot do anything because it is something that is contractually specified.”

Villas-Boas became the youngest coach to win a European trophy when his Porto side beat Braga 1-0 in Dublin at the end of last season and despite insisting at the time that he was happy to remain at the club and build a team to compete in the Champions League his future has been the subject of much speculation.