Chelsea will have to pay a British record transfer fee to sign Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich.

The French midfielder has emerged as one of the club's top transfer targets this summer but owner Roman Abramovich will have to part with €39 million to prise him from the Bundesliga champions, according to the Daily Mail.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon is believed to have already made contact with Bayern although a decision over Ribery's proposed switch to Stamford Bridge but a decision won't be made until France's participation at Euro 2008 is over.

Jurgen Klinsmann, the new coach at the Allianz Arena, is desperate to keep German football's Player of the Year at the club for their assault on European success next season but the lure of the Premier League could be too great.

Ribery, who has a pivotal role to play for France in Austria and Switzerland right now, moved to Bayern last summer for €20m from Marseille but now his value has doubled after his superb displays for both club and country.

Chelsea will now need to pay just over the €38.5m they spent on Andriy Shevchenko two seasons ago, but it's understood they are prepared to do it.

Meanwhile, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti dismissed speculation linking him with the Chelsea manager's job.

Spalletti has been touted by some as Avram Grant's successor, but the 49-year-old says he has received no offer from the club.

Spalletti told Sky Italia: "The truth is that I have not got contract proposals from other clubs, including from Chelsea.

"Many things have been said and written about this. A few days ago someone, for example, wrote I wasn't ready to go to Chelsea because I didn't know the English language and I didn't feel myself adequate to the task.

"The same person, two days later, said I was waiting for Chelsea's call and that I had already contacted one of Roma's best players to come with me.

"These are absolutely bad things (to say and write)."