Welcome TORRES to chelsea

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH will give Carlo Ancelotti £100MILLION to rebuild the Chelsea team - and that will include a bid for Fernando Torres.

The Blues owner met his coach at the club's Cobham training ground yesterday to discuss plans for buying new players.

It was their second face-to-face chat in 24 hours. They also met after Tuesday night's defeat by Inter Milan, when Ancelotti was told his job is safe.

Abramovich was concerned his coach was unsettled by all the hype after ex-boss Jose Mourinho's victory and wanted to reassure him.

Ancelotti already has a list of star targets, which includes Torres, Sergio Aguero, Maicon, Bastian Schweinsteiger and a new goalkeeper.

There will also be a clear-out of 'dead wood' from the squad and a thorough review of the coaching staff and academy structure.

A senior Chelsea source said: "Carlo has the full backing of Roman and that will mean the kind of money being spent this summer that we haven't seen since Mourinho was in charge.

"Roman believes Carlo is the right man and will give him exactly what he needs to rebuild the team.

"This squad has gone a bit stale and needs to have some fresh blood."

Joe Cole is expected to be allowed to leave and Nicolas Anelka will be sold if he does not agree to a one-year extension on his contract.

Deco's contract will be terminated, just as the homesick Brazilian star has requested, and fringe players such as Hilario, Paulo Ferreira and Juliano Belletti will be told they can go elsewhere.

Ancelotti expects to sign at least two big-name players but has also been asked to identify up-and-coming talent.

A goalkeeper capable of putting pressure on Petr Cech for the No 1 spot - someone like Atletico Madrid's Sergio Asenjo - will be bought.

The roles of assistant Ray Wilkins and coaches such as Paul Clement and Christophe Lollichon will be looked into.

And there will even be a major study of the Chelsea medical staff - including the club's chief medical officer, Dr Bryan English.

That is because the Blues have suffered this season from a run of long-term injuries to vital first-teamers like Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa, with all three unlikely to play again in the current campaign.