TheSportsCampus

Champions League winners Chelsea could be on the brink of losing Brazilian international Hulk to Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg, who jumped into the mix to offer FC Porto the £40 million they demand for the transfer, revealed the Daily Mirror. Moreover, the Russians are also throwing in Portuguese defender Bruno Alves in a bid to sweeten the deal.

Talks between Chelsea and Porto broke down after the Blues refused to up their £30 million offer. Chelsea were hopeful that with the passage of time, the Portuguese champions would re-open negotiations, lowering their demand of £40 million.

However, with Zenit offering the Portuguese side the £40 million they desire for the transfer, plus the additional Portuguese international centre-back, Chelsea's hopes of signing the Brazilian this summer could be dead and buried. Interestingly, the Russian club is owned by Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom, who are the newest sponsors of the Blues.

Hulk's agent Teodoro Fonseca also hinted that the Porto star's move to Stamford Bridge may not happen, when he told English media, "Who would not play in the Premier League, for Chelsea or one of the other big clubs? But sometimes clubs have to give up a right, a player or a person in order to keep the whole structure."

It will be interesting to see if Hulk is keen on a move to Russia, having declared in the past that he would be more than happy to stay on at Porto should the move to Chelsea not materialize. However, with Roman Abramovich not one to take defeat lightly, one might just expect Chelsea to return to Porto with one last offer in an attempt to snatch the player out of Zenit's grasp.