Roman Abramovich has spent nearly $100 million on new players since he bought London soccer club Chelsea, after two new signings announced Wednesday.
Manchester United's Juan Sebastian Veron will join Chelsea for an initial ?12.5 million ($20 million) and another ?2.5 million depending on his performance in the coming four seasons, Agence France Presse reported. The deal came hot on the heels of a ?6.6 million signing of West Ham's Joe Cole.
Chelsea earlier snapped up England fullback Wayne Bridge for ?7 million, Blackburn's Irish winger Damien Duff for ?17 million pounds, Real Madrid's Cameroon midfielder Geremi for ?6.9 million and West Ham's Johnson for ?6 million.
Back in Russia, RIA Novosti reported that Abramovich plans to finance the building of a new stadium in Moscow.
"A stadium will be built for clubs in the capital that do not have their own pitch," the agency quoted him as saying in Chukotka, where he played host to British journalists. "In Moscow there is only one stadium of a high European standard -- Lokomotiv, and the new stadium would be intended for two to three teams."
Vedomosti on Wednesday quoted an anonymous official at City Hall as saying that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who called Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea tantamount to "spitting" on Russian sports, was aware that unnamed Russian businessmen were interested in investing in a new stadium.
"Abramovich's surname was not mentioned, but it was hinted that he was the one being discussed," the official said.
"If Abramovich really wants to put money into Russian sport then Yury Luzhkov welcomes this initiative," Vedomosti reported City Hall spokesman Sergei Tsoi as saying.
"However this does not change Luzhkov's opinion of Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea."
Manchester United's Juan Sebastian Veron will join Chelsea for an initial ?12.5 million ($20 million) and another ?2.5 million depending on his performance in the coming four seasons, Agence France Presse reported. The deal came hot on the heels of a ?6.6 million signing of West Ham's Joe Cole.
Chelsea earlier snapped up England fullback Wayne Bridge for ?7 million, Blackburn's Irish winger Damien Duff for ?17 million pounds, Real Madrid's Cameroon midfielder Geremi for ?6.9 million and West Ham's Johnson for ?6 million.
Back in Russia, RIA Novosti reported that Abramovich plans to finance the building of a new stadium in Moscow.
"A stadium will be built for clubs in the capital that do not have their own pitch," the agency quoted him as saying in Chukotka, where he played host to British journalists. "In Moscow there is only one stadium of a high European standard -- Lokomotiv, and the new stadium would be intended for two to three teams."
Vedomosti on Wednesday quoted an anonymous official at City Hall as saying that Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who called Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea tantamount to "spitting" on Russian sports, was aware that unnamed Russian businessmen were interested in investing in a new stadium.
"Abramovich's surname was not mentioned, but it was hinted that he was the one being discussed," the official said.
"If Abramovich really wants to put money into Russian sport then Yury Luzhkov welcomes this initiative," Vedomosti reported City Hall spokesman Sergei Tsoi as saying.
"However this does not change Luzhkov's opinion of Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea."