Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has taken over the club's push to land AC Milan striker Andrei Shevchenko.
The Times says Chelsea hope to sign five players during the summer rather than the three-in three-out policy publicly described by José Mourinho, with two strikers, a central midfield player, centre back and left back featuring on the wanted list.
The signing of Shevchenko will headline the recruiting campaign, with Abramovich masterminding the recruitment of a player he counts as a personal friend.
It's been revealed Abramovich phoned Shevchenko last weekend to sound him out and will fly to Milan for a face-to-face meeting after the club's final Serie A match of the season on May 14.
The Russian billionaire's strong relationship with Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani also means all talks will take place with the blessing of the Italian club.
Milan sources say an offer of £30 million may be too big to turn down for a player who will be 30 in September.
