Andriy Shevchenko’s miserable spell at Chelsea is nearing an end after AC Milan agreed to re-sign the striker if he passes a medical examination today.
The Ukraine international agreed to terms on Saturday to return to the Italian club after failing to live up to expectations during two injury-plagued seasons in England.
“I’m happy,” Shevchenko said. “I have hoped for a return for a while and yesterday I began to believe that this deal could end well. For me it is as if I’ve won the Champions League.”
“There were some complications, but now that everything is resolved I am really happy,” he said.
Shevchenko amassed 173 goals in 296 games during seven seasons with Milan, but scored just nine times in 47 appearances for Chelsea after an English Premier League record transfer of £31 million (then US$62 million) in the 2006 offseason.
“We have succeeded in bringing back home the player who scored the most goals with our jersey in the last 50 years,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said on Saturday. “Andriy is back home and I am happy.”
The 31-year-old Shevchenko was due to arrive in Milan yesterday, a day before finalizing the deal. Neither side has disclosed the financial details, but Galliani indicated that Milan will not meet the reported £120,000 weekly package at Stamford Bridge.
“Andriy made a mistake to leave and I think that over the last two years he has realized that this is his home,” Galliani said on the club Web site. “Now he has made his financial sacrifices, but at this point the only thing that matters is that he’s back with us.”
A statement on Chelsea’s Web site announced: “Chelsea FC have agreed terms for Andriy Shevchenko to return to AC Milan. Details of the agreement will remain confidential. The move is subject to a successful medical.”
Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich was instrumental in the four-year deal, which was seen as undermining the authority of then manager Jose Mourinho, who thought Shevchenko wasn’t a necessary addition to the side.
Within months of his arrival, Shevchenko was linked with a move back to Italy as Mourinho became increasingly frustrated with his inability to find the net.
It was a factor in exacerbating the friction between Abramovich and Mourinho, who left last September.
Shevchenko didn’t prosper under Avram Grant, scoring his last Chelsea goal in May’s 1-1 draw with Bolton on the final day of the league season and playing no part in the Champions League final defeat to Manchester United.
Shevchenko began his career at Dynamo Kiev, winning five league titles and two national cups with the team from 1994-99.
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