Marca journalist Juan Ignacio García-Ochoa has reported that Real Madrid have rejected the latest and supposedly final offer from Chelsea for the signature of Robinho.

Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon has been working hard over the last few days to seal the deal but his bosses are only willing to offer €32 million for the Brazilian winger, well short of the €40 million the Spanish giants were demanding.

And with time running out in the transfer market, it appears that Madrid, who had previously stated that they would only sell the 24 year old if they can first find his replacement, have put an end to all negotiations and the will retain the services of O Principe for at least one more season.

Although the official word has not yet been released by the club, once and if it is confirmed, Robinho will have to begin the task of winning back the support and affection of the fans and his teammates.

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Alongside Deco, Terry, Lampard, Cech and all the rest, a proud Chelsea fan can now wear the name of Robinho on his back.

This morning it was discovered that the Blues have already begun taking orders for Robinho replica kits (see here), indicating the club's confidence that a deal for the Brazilian will go through imminently.

Although the winger has yet to be assigned a squad number, this shirt, coupled with the fact that chief executive Peter Kenyon has predicted that the transfer will take place today, seems to confirm that a deal is on the cards.

Last week Robinho announced that he was looking to leave Real Madrid in favour of the London outfit after a tumultuous summer in which he was banned from going to the Olympic Games and endured fruitless contract negotiations.

The Blues' chief executive is confident that the Brazilian will complete his move from Spain by Friday after several days of reports and rumours that a deal was going through.

Luis Felipe Scolari has admitted that he wanted his compatriot to join him at Stamford Bridge after he took over the reins at Chelsea earlier this summer.

Robinho has told Madrid that he wants to leave after a string of events left him feeling undervalued at the Bernabéu and now he appears to have his wish.

Talks over a new contract for the Brazilian were delayed and then he was offered less than he asked for which did not go down well, but it was his inclusion as a makeweight in the bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo that saw him decide he wanted to leave.

The player's agent told reporters on Tuesday that a deal "was close to being done" and now Kenyon has backed up that statement by claiming that it will be concluded "within 48 hours".

Robinho was named in Madrid's squad for the Spanish Super Cup encounter with Valencia at the weekend but remained as an unused substitute, although he was jeered by fans before and after the match.

Spanish daily Marca have speculated that the Brazilian winger could be on his way out of the Spanish capital headed for the English capital in a matter of hours.

According to the reports from the Madrid-based newspaper, Robinho last week rejected club president Ramón Calderón’s latest contract offer, which is believed to be roughly the same amount as what Chelsea were prepared to offer him. This has convinced Calderón to concede that no amount of money will be able to tempt the 24 year old to remain at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Despite coach Bernd Schuster’s optimism that the playmaker will stay on with the blancos squad, his exit has been made all the more imminent after events at the weekend.

Firstly, Robinho was heckled and jeered by a group of fans before the squad left for the game against Valencia. And just before the start of the match, he was whistled at when his name was read out on the stadium’s PA system. The most obvious sign, ofcourse, was his muted celebrations with the rest of the team in the background, away from the spotlight when Madrid eventually beat Los Ché for the Supercopa.

The question of how he will leave and for how much is a different matter altogether.

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Just days after Robinho's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, seemed to rule out the prospect of a switch to London, Robinho has today stated that all that's needed is Madrid's assent for a move to go through. What's more, it's a transfer that he wants.

The player said today: "I dream of playing in the Premier League. Chelsea have a great squad, a great team, and they've made an offer that's great for both me and Real Madrid.

"I have nothing against my current team, to whom I'm very grateful, but at this point my goal is to leave here and I hope that everything will be resolved as soon as possible."

This will come as a massive shock for Real Madrid: with the competitive season already underway in the form of the Spanish Supercopa, to be faced with losing one of their top players with so little time left to source a replacement is catastrophic.

Chelesa, meanwhile, are known to be great admirers of the Brazilian winger, with both chief executive Peter Kenyon and first team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said to be eager to land the ex-Santos man.

Despite the 24-year-old's statements today, though, it could well be that no move comes to pass. Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón has already declared Robinho to be "non-transferable" and has also deemed the blancos' transfer window operations to be concluded.

Furthremore Calderón and sporting director Pedja Mijatovic may opt to take a leaf out of Manchester United's book and hold onto one of their prime talents come hell or high water. After all, when Cristiano Ronaldo first stated that he wished to depart Old Trafford in favour of Madrid the Red Devils hierarchy stood their ground, eventually winning back the loyalty of their winger.

Whether or not Real Madrid can manage the same - especially in light of an alleged €40m bid from the Blues - remains to be seen.

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For the second time in as many days, reports claim that Chelsea have raised their offer for Real Madrid forward Robinho

According to The Sun, the Blues are now willing to part with £28.4million to bring Robinho to Stamford Bridge.

The news comes less than 24 hours after widespread reports that the Londoners had tabled a £25million bid for the Brazilian star - roughly a £5.5million improvement on their original offer.

Peter Kenyon, the chief executive of Chelsea, has been in Madrid hammering out a deal with los Merengues, who are reluctant to sell the man they bought from Santos in 2005.

But Robinho is unsettled, as he is not convinced his talents are fully appreciated at the Bernabeu - despite president Ramon Calderon's claims that the 24-year-old is "non-transferable".

Hence, the Selecao regular may be eager to see the deal go through, especially as he would link up with ex-Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Robinho's arrival at Chelsea would no doubt rekindle speculation concerning the futures of Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who are already battling for a spot in Scolari's starting XI.

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According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has arrived in Madrid to wrap up the signing of Brazilian forward Robinho

The Blues have reportedly been tossing up between two mega-money signings all summer.

On the one hand there is Robinho, Real Madrid's enigmatic but uniquely gifted winger-cum-striker; on the other, Kaka, the AC Milan playmaker widely regarded as the most elegant and brilliant player on the planet.

Recent whispers in the press suggested that the London giants had gone after the latter in a deal supposed to be worth a whopping €102million.

But the latest reports claim that Kenyon was in the Spanish capital yesterday to finalise Robinho's £25million move to Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old's future has been up in the air ever since los Merengues kicked off their quest to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with the former Santos star for most of the off-season, due in no small part to the appointment of ex-Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager.

The West End club had an initial bid of just over £19million knocked back a few weeks ago, but their latest offer could well be enough to prise Robinho away from the Bernabeu.

This news comes despite the player's agent claiming yesterday that his client would not be going anywhere, and Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón's declarations that Robinho was "non-transferable".

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Following on from yesterday's reports that Chelsea are mulling over the idea of a €102m bid for Kaká, it has since emerged in the pages of Marca that first team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is in fact more interested in the cheaper option.

The Spanish sports daily reported this week that it seems almost certain that Robinho is remaining at Madrid, yet it is thought that Scolari holds out hope of landing his fellow Brazilian.

Robinho, who played against Valencia in Sunday's Spanish Supercopa, is allegedly one of Scolari's favourite players, and as such the boss has told Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon that it is the Madrid man who would really prove to be an asset to his side.

However, Marca also reported yesterday that Chelsea moneyman Roman Abramovich holds out little hope of being able to reach an accord with Madrid president Ramón Calderón over Robinho, and thus this operation is very much on the back burner.

What's more, the idea of securing the most valuable transfer of all time apparently appeals more to Abramovich than battling for Robinho. To this end he has recently met with Silvio Berlusconi in an attempt to land the midfielder.

In any case Chelsea had previously stated that they won't go above €32m for Robinho, whom Calderón has deemed non-transferable. Scolari, for his part, thinks that a €40m bid may turn the tide.

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On the eve of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s English Premier League debut, the focus doesn’t seem to be so much on the game itself as it was on a certain player the club is looking to sign: Robinho.

Brazilian World Cup winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari will embark on a new adventure this weekend as he gets his first taste of club football in England with Premiership and Champions League runners-up, Chelsea.

While he is expected to thrill the Stamford Bridge crowd with his team’s attacking style of play, off the pitch, he has already begun on the defensive as he tried to steer clear of the ongoing transfer talk involving Robinho.

“Robinho is a very good player, but I do not know what will happen. It is not my job,” he started off during a press conference ahead of the Chelsea-Portsmouth clash.

“It is the job of the directors, the people who handle the money. Of course, he is a fantastic player who can play in any club in the world. But I am happy with the players I have now.

“If we lose to Portsmouth, it will not be because we didn’t have Robinho. It will be because we did not play well,” he added.

Chelsea are currently in hot pursuit of the Real Madrid winger, but with their Spanish counterparts less than eager to sell him, the Blues are using the kind of forceful approach that the Spaniards themselves used – or tried to – in an attempt to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Old Trafford.

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Chelsea are still in pursuit of Real Madrid superstar Robinho, despite already having an offer turned down by the La Liga champions

Chelsea boss Luis Felipe Scolari is keen to add to his attacking options before the transfer window closes on 31st August, and chief executive Peter Kenyon has confirmed that The Blues are still on the trail of skilful Brazilian.

He said: “It is continuing. We've still got a few days left of the window and hopefully we'll get a result."

"This will never happen".

Robinho has been wowing the Real Madrid faithful since his €24 million move from Brazilian side Santos in 2005.

He has so far scored 35 times in 131 appearances for the La Liga giants, but boss Bernd Schuster has already warned Chelsea off him, telling Spanish newspaper Marca, “We are not contemplating his departure - Robi will continue with us. Robinho is happy as always."

Robinho may become Chelsea’s third major signing if they are successful in their quest, following former Scolari players Jose Bosingwa and Deco to Stamford Bridge.

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