Chelsea snap up Kenyon

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, has sensationally signed Manchester United's business supremo Peter Kenyon.

After splashing out more than £110million on new players this summer, the Russian billionaire has now switched his attention to the boardroom.

In a move that will stun the City, Kenyon, 48, the man who sold David Beckham to Real Madrid, is believed to be Chelsea's new chief executive and charged with delivering the Russian's dream of turning the club into one of the biggest in Europe.

Chelsea's highly rated current chief executive, Trevor Birch, will be invited to remain in a senior role at the club.

Kenyon is the former head of sportswear firm Umbro which supplies Chelsea's kits. He is also known to be close to Israeli football agent Pini Zahavi who has been advising Abramovich, said to be worth £4billion, on football matters since his takeover two months ago.

The irony of the move will not be lost on the City as Chelsea recently came off the Alternative Investment Market and became Abramovich's private company.

Manchester United were valued at £465million today, but at one stage under Kenyon's stewardship, they were worth more than £1 billion.