Chelsea want Ze Roberto to fill left-midfield role

Chelsea are trying to sign Bayer Leverkusen's brilliant Brazilian left-winger Ze Roberto for £7m.

The FA Cup finalists have made contact with Liverpool's European Cup conquerors but they will have to compete with Bayern Munich for the 27-year-old's signature. Bayern were favourites to land skilful Ze Roberto in the summer but Leverkusen said last night that a "big English club" had been in touch over the weekend.

Chelsea have been watches Ze Roberto for weeks as he helps his club close in on the Bundesliga title and also dazzles against the likes of Liverpool. Chelsea's Italian manager, Claudio Ranieri, wants a new left-sided attacker to replace Boudewijn Zenden, who has disappointed. Blackburn's Damien Duff and even Newcastle's Frenchman Laurent Robert have been mentioned, but Ze Roberto could be the answer to their problems.

Leicester City, doomed to the drop, have written to the Football Association, the Premiership and the Football League to ask if the relegated Premiership clubs can carry on selling their players after the proposed new deadlines.

They plan to offload big earners like Muzzy Izzet, Robbie Savage, Matt Elliott and Ian Walker during the summer, but they may not be able to sell them all in the close season. Under the new transfer rules about to be introduced Leicester would have only until the end of August to sell them and would then face the prospect of being left with a huge wage bill until the next "window" opens at Christmas.

The transfer windows are set to be introduced this summer for the first time, with the likely date for final moves being late August – just after the new season starts.

Sheffield Wednesday are ready to ditch their reserve team as the growing financial crisis hits Nationwide League clubs. The Owls' second team are heading for relegation from the top level of the Premier Reserve League, but rather than drop down a division they are considering abandoning organised fixtures.

Bolton's manager, Sam Allardyce, wants Youri Djorkaeff to sign permanently after helping Wanderers beat the drop. Djorkaeff joined from Kaiserslautern on a remarkable £50,000 a week until the end of the season. The veteran will have to take a pay cut if he stays and Bolton will also offer a deal that will apply only while they are in the Premiership.