CHELSEA have whipped out a whopping 18 million ($55 million) cheque to grab in-demand England striker Shaun Wright-Phillips.
According to three British newspapers, the Manchester City winger has agreed a five-year deal worth 80,000-a-week and could be unveiled at a press conference this week.
City manager Stuart Pearce will be thoroughly dismayed at the news that his star man could be on his way after rebuffing approaches from Arsenal and Liverpool for the 23-year-old son of Arsenal legend and all-time top scorer Ian Wright.
But with the club currently about 62 million in debt, the latest 18m offer looks too tempting to turn down.
'He is a world-class player and we would be folly to let Shaun go,' said Pearce last week.
'Credit to the kid, he has never come in and hinted that he wants to leave.'
Wright-Phillips joined City in the summer of 1998 having been a trainee at Nottingham Forest. He has played almost 150 games for City.
But he, too, will be heart-broken with this latest news, say close friends.
Wright-Phillips recently told The Sun newspaper: 'I am not thinking of moving. It is my home, the fans have really taken to me.
'I went from the youth team to the first team and the fans supported me all the way. I'm settled here.'
But Wright-Phillips also believes that moving to a higher-profile club, with serious Europe ambitions, may be his ticket to further stardom - and to build on his budding England career for the World Cup Finals 2006.
'You can always get better and always improve, so that's what I do,' he told The Guardian Online.
'I work on my whole game and learn from the people around me, who I've benefited from tremendously, or the new players who come in to the club.
'I'm always learning and you are never too old to stop learning new things and improve your game.'
Chelsea may well be the right springboard for Wright-Phillips. - PA Sport.
