Chelsea players reported for pre-season training on Tuesday and Italian midfielder Dino Baggio could soon be joining them.

Baggio, 30, currently at Lazio, has been lined up in a swap deal which will take Gabriele Ambrosetti to Rome.

Claudio Pasqualin, who represents both players, said: "Talks are at an advanced stage and the two clubs are already in agreement."

With Sam Dalla Bona on the transfer list at Stamford Bridge, Baggio would be the perfect back-up for first-choice central midfielders Emmanuel Petit and Frank Lampard.

Pasqualin added: "Chelsea were after a strong midfielder while Lazio were trying to find an alternative for Dino Baggio. His current wage demands are too high for their budget."

Ambrosetti, 28, was signed by Gianluca Vialli for £3.5million in 1999 but the winger - whom Vialli dubbed the Italian Ryan Giggs - has spent much of his Chelsea career on loan at Piacenza.

The majority of the Blues' squad began full training on Wednesday, but Marcel Desailly, Petit, Jesper Gronkjaer, Celestine Babayaro and Mario Stanic have been granted additional leave to recover from their World Cup exploits.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mikael Forssell were also missing as they continue to recover from injury. Forssell will miss the start of the season but Hasselbaink is on course to be fit for the opening Premiership game at Charlton.

Next week, the players fly out to the Italian training camp which manager Claudio Ranieri has taken teams to since he was in charge of Fiorentina.

Meanwhile, Enrique De Lucas may not get the chance to join the Blues. Despite being paraded as their first summer signing, the 23-year-old Spaniard's move is in doubt.

De Lucas is determined to move to London but Spanish side Alaves claim the former Espanyol star has signed a contract with them. The midfielder's agent and Chelsea's lawyers are looking to resolve the wrangle with Alaves president Gonzalo Anton.

July 8, 2002 10:00