Zhirkov on brink of £13m switch

Yury Zhirkov is poised to end his unhappy two-year spell at Chelsea and join Anzhi Makhachkala in his native Russia, according to one of his prospective new team-mates.

Reports in Moscow claim the utility player is on the brink of sealing a £13m move to Anzhi, whose defender, Rasim Tagirbekov, has claimed Zhirkov has met the club's squad and head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev. Tagirbekov said: "Everybody in the team is very glad that he will join our club. This transfer will strengthen Anzhi a lot."