United confirm acceptance of Blues´ £15m Veron bid
Manchester United have accepted a £15m bid from Chelsea for Juan Sebastian Veron.
The transfer is still subject to contract and the Argentinian midfielder´s medical - and £2.5m of the fee is dependent on Chelsea´s performance over the next four seasons.
United confirmed the much-anticipated acceptance of the bid via the Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning.
The deal will mean United have made a substantial loss on Veron, having bought him for £28.1m in July 2001 from Lazio.
The acquisition of Veron will take Chelsea´s summer spending spree since the arrival of new owner Roman Abramovich to almost £60m.
Previous arrivals in that period at Stamford Bridge include Damien Duff for £17m, Geremi for £7m, Wayne Bridge for £7m, and Glen Johnson for £6m.
And Johnson´s former West Ham team-mate Joe Cole is in talks over personal terms after the clubs agreed a £6.6m transfer fee.
Claudio Ranieri has hailed Cole as Chelsea´s new Gianfranco Zola - but pleaded ignorance when quizzed about Veron on Tuesday night.
The Blues ripped Watford apart at Vicarage Road, strolling to a 4-1 success against their Division One opponents.
And afterwards, Ranieri gave his glowing verdict on Cole, although he claimed to be in the dark about Veron.
" I know Joe Cole is very, very near but I don´t know anything about Veron," Ranieri said.
" Without Gianfranco, I need a player who can dribble - and I think Joe Cole is that kind of player.
" In my opinion, he can play in any midfield position from the left to the right, or behind the front two.
" He´s not signed yet but I hope he arrives. He´s fantastic one-on-one. He´s very clever and passes the ball very well.
" I like him when a match is close. He can dribble, pass and score a goal. He´s strong and an Englishman.
" When I arrived, I said I´d like a blend of young English players and experienced players. Slowly, slowly, that way is possible."
Chelsea chairman Ken Bates and chief executive Trevor Birch were both at the game but refused to discuss their swoops for Cole and Veron.
et joe cole va aussi venir a chelsea . donc plus aucun remplacant valable sur le marché . Chelsea va tout gagner a ce rhytme la . on vient de perdre tres gros cet été . vraiment tres gros . et pourquoi vendre veron , je n´arrive pas a comprendre desolé .