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Exclusive: Roman Abramovich will break the bank to bring Pep Guardiola to Chelsea
ROMAN ABRAMOVICH will break the bank in an attempt to outbid Manchester City and land Pep Guardiola as Chelsea's new manager this summer with a contract worth more than £17million a year.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is desperate to land Pep Guardiola
Guardiola remains Abramovich's top target to replace Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's next long-term manager, and has told friends he is ready to fight City to the end for the Spaniard.
Guardiola, who announced last week that he would be leaving Bayern in the summer, is being paid around £16m a year by the German giants, making him the highest paid coach in the world.
City are willing to match that salary but Abramovich, who paid Mourinho £13m a year until he sacked him last week, with Guus Hiddink coming in as his replacement until the end of this season, is ready to top their offer.
That means that money will have to be the attraction, as well as living in London. Guardiola turned down Chelsea once before in 2013, but Abramovich is still a huge fan of the coach, and the football his teams play.
Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone remains an option for Abramovich if he fails to get Guardiola.