Reports have emerged about how former Blues captain John Terry practically dissuaded Chelsea from signing Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid, and persuaded the club to rather go for former Valencia striker David Villa.

The Argentine striker moved to Manchester in 2011 and has been one of the division’s all-time most prolific players, scoring 173 goals – he is just two goals behind Thierry Henry in sixth place, and four behind Frank Lampard.

He has helped City win four Premier League titles and the FA Cup, but he very nearly moved to Stamford Bridge instead of the Etihad.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea made their first enquiry for Aguero two years before he joined City, though were initially put off by the transfer fee and salary demands.

Negotiations resumed while Carlo Ancelotti was in charge, but captain Terry – who, along with a number of key personnel at the time, wielded a huge amount of influence – vetoed the deal.

Terry was reportedly not a huge fan of the diminutive Argentine having played against him twice in the Champions League.

The English centre-back is said to have been unimpressed by Aguero’s movement and passed on his critique to Chelsea’s hierarchy, report the Metro.

He also suggested that the club should sign David Villa – who was still at Valencia at the time – ahead of Aguero and even namechecked the Spaniard after winning the FA Cup Final in 2009.

But Villa moved to Barcelona, winning the Champions League, while Chelsea’s interest in Aguero cooled after Terry’s assessment – though they did try and sign him again before he opted for City.

Ironically, Aguero had scored twice against a Terry-led Chelsea defence with Atletico before moving to City and has been prolific against the west Londoners ever since, scoring 15 times against the Blues in 18 appearances – there is no side in the Premier League he has scored more times against.

Former Manchester City Danilo has pinpointed the similarities between Gaurdiola and his new boss Maurizio Sarri,saying the two of them are “very similar”, even if the Juventus boss “gives more freedom to individual initiative.”

Danilo traded Manchester City for Juve over the summer, as part of the deal that took Joao Cancelo to the English champions, and the right-back is enjoying life in Turin.

“Turin is very different to Manchester,” the 28-year-old told Globo Esporte as cited by Football Italia.

“The fans are much more passionate, they stop you in the street. I like it, they come across more affectionate and motivated.

“I’m gradually getting to know the city and I feel good. I’ve already realised that the cuisine here is spectacular.

“In Manchester, I only had a handful of options to eat well. In Italy, instead, the culinary culture is extraordinary. We must be careful not to gain any weight!

“In Premier League, the game is much more intense, there’s no comparison. In Italy, instead, it’s much more tactical and positional. It forces you to think more.

“Sarri has modern ideas, he likes to keep a high defensive line and he wants us to keep the ball.

“In this regard, it wasn’t a big change for me and I feel perfectly at ease. Sarri and Guardiola are very similar in many ways, especially in their meticulous approach to tactics and movement.

“They thoroughly study opponents and the moves needed to predict every single situation.

“It was all extremely mechanical at City, working on every step and every inch. Sarri, on the other hand, is a bit more elastic, giving more freedom to individual initiative.

“In any case, their models are the same and it takes time to get used to. It took two years with Guardiola.

“I think this Juventus, despite not being with them for long, are doing well and are on right track.”

Latest reports in Italy claim AC Milan are not keen to sign Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.

This is not the first time that Elneny has been linked with a move to San Siro, as over the summer he was once again believed to be proposing himself.

Calciomercato.com report that Elneny and an intermediary suggested he would be an interesting option for the January transfer window.

However, Milan directors Paolo Maldini and Zvonimir Boban are believed to see the 27-year-old Egyptian rather low on the pecking order, report Football Italia.

Elneny is still owned by Arsenal, but joined Besiktas on loan for one season, so far making only nine appearances for his new club.

Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has revealed former teammate Eden Hazard’s attitude to training at Stamford Bridge, saying the Belgian “didn’t like to train hard.”

Mikel and Hazard were together at Chelsea for years and shared some great moments in the colours of the London club.

But the Nigerian now plies his trade in Turkey for Trabzonspor, while Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea during the summer.

“Hazard has an incredible talent,” Mikel told beIN Sports in Turkey .

“Maybe not as good as [Lionel] Messi, but he can do whatever he wants with the ball at his feet.

“He didn’t like to train hard. While we were working he was waiting for us to finish training just standing there. But on Sundays he was always man of the match, it was unbelievable.”

When asked who the hardest working player he’s played alongside was he said “Frank Lampard,” with no hesitation whatsoever.

Hazard’s move to Spain has not gone entirely to plan. He has missed time through injury and not had a tremendous impact when he has been on the pitch, scoring just once in 11 games for the club.

Meanwhile, Mikel has identified a player at his Turkish club who is in the mould of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

According to the former Blues midfielder, the player, Abdulkadir Omur, is very similar to Messi.

“When I saw him in training, I said to myself, ‘Maybe a Messi will not come to the world, but this child is very similar to Messi,” he added.

“I know Messi very well because he always had the duty of defending himself in the matches we played against Barcelona and Argentina. Abdulkadir creates a piece of Messi watching with every move he makes.”

Chelsea fans are already over the moon after Borussia Dortmund youngster Jadon Sancho admitted he looked up to Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba as a youngster.

The Blues faithful are dreaming of a front three containing England ace.

The former Manchester City academy star joined Dortmund in 2017 after a lack of first-team opportunities and has become one of the hottest prospects in Europe since featuring in his first Bundesliga match two years ago.

Manchester United, City and Liverpool have all been linked with a move for the winger, alongside Europe’s other footballing powerhouses, but Chelsea fans believe he may be set to make the move to Stamford Bridge next summer, report the Daily Express.

That is because of the comments made by Sancho in a recent interview with The Independent, in which he admits to have ‘looked up to’ Blues heroes Lampard and Drogba earlier in his childhood.

He said: “Ronaldinho was the main guy I used to watch on YouTube.

“But I liked Frank Lampard quite a lot and Didier Drogba when they were playing for Chelsea. They were the three players I looked up to.”

And, with Lampard now in charge at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea faithful were convinced the remarks point to Sancho returning to London come June 2020.

One supporter tweeted: “WELCOME TO CHELSEA BRO.”

While another added: “Written in the stars. #Sancho2020.”

A third fan dreamed of the Blues’ forward line next season. They wrote: “Pulisic Tammy Sancho up front next season.”

Another of the Stamford Bridge faithful added: “Sancho has Chelsea written all over him.”

While a fifth supporter put: “Jadon Sancho wants a bit of Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and I can’t blame him tbh.”

Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi has revealed how Frank Lampard convinced him to renew his contract at Stamford Bridge.

After his 2018/19 campaign was marked by a contract stand-off, persistent links with a move to Bayern Munich and an injury that ended his season prematurely, Hudson-Odoi is certainly in a happier place right now.

And for that, a lot of the credit goes to Frank Lampard, who convinced the 19-year-old his future was with Chelsea.

So how many conversations with his new club manager did it take for Hudson-Odoi to be persuaded to sign a new contract?

“One! He believes in me, he wants me to play for him and he wants me to work hard,” explained Hudson-Odoi.

“They were the things you want to hear from a manager, that he believes in you and he has faith in you, that you can achieve a lot of stuff at the club.”

Not that Lampard indulges the prodigiously talented youngster. Far from it.

“He is hard on me,” said Hudson-Odoi.

“But it is in a good way because he wants me to keep getting better. When the manager is telling me stuff, I always want to listen and improve my game because I’m not there yet.”

The Chelsea winger has impressed under the guidance of Frank Lampard this season and is hoping to convince Gareth Southgate he is worthy of a place in the first eleven.

He is determined to gatecrash Gareth Southgate’s attacking party.

But with Sterling dropped and doubts emerging over Sancho’s form and fitness, Hudson-Odoi is sensing a chance to break up Southgate’s forward cabal, the Mirror report.

He said: “That is a motivation for me, definitely. Jadon is still young but they have done exceptionally well for a number of years.

“So when people say they are the best front three, for me it’s a motivation because I want to be one of them as well.

“I want to be around it and have people say… okay, there’s five of them now. I always try and push myself.”