CHELSEA are preparing to spend £15m at a massive AC Milan superstar sell-off being planned this summer, it was claimed in the Italian press yesterday, with Paolo Maldini, Marcel Desailly and Ibrahim Ba the trio of targets. Player-boss Gianluca Vialli is ready to swoop on the troubled Serie A giants, capitalising on the finger-pointing and accusations that have rocked the San Siro in the wake of Sunday's 5-0 defeat against Roma. Chelsea are reportedly offering £6.6m for full-back Maldini, Italy's captain, £5m for French midfielder Desailly and a further £3.3m for French winger Ba says the Corrierre dello Sport newspaper, with huge salaries available for each man. Vialli is desperate to prove his team aren't merely a cup side capable of turning it on for one-off matches. However, he accepts that the current squad at Stamford Bridge - for all its marquee names - doesn't have the strength in depth to match the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool over the course of a long Premiership season. Once-mighty Milan have been losing matches and credibility all season, and a full-scale clear-out seems inevitable. The club sent officials to Barcelona earlier this week to try to convince the Spanish champions to buy misfit striker Patrick Kluivert, whose career was launched at Ajax by Barca boss Louis Van Gaal, and Brazilian midfielder Leonardo. Milan will also be getting rid of Yugoslav international Dejan Savicevic. His contract expires this month and will not be renewed. As a punishment for their recent dismal form, they also squandered a 2-0 lead against Lazio in the Italian Cup final, Milan's millionaire stars have been confined to barracks at their training base for the rest of the week. They will only be let out for Sunday's home game against Parma - a match they must win to keep their slim hopes of making the Intertoto Cup alive. Even the fans are turning on their heroes, demanding major changes before the club's decade of domestic and European success become a faded memory. These two years of disasters have cancelled out everything," moaned one supporter. "You can't live on past glory. It's time to start all over again. There's got to be a thorough clear-out. The team doesn't exist any more. They're totally lacking in any determination or character, let alone playing ability." POLICE have said Chelsea defender Bernard Lambourde has no case to answer after probing recent allegations he indecently assaulted a hotel worker. The woman claimed the incident took place at Chelsea's hotel before they played Leeds at Elland Road last month. West Yorkshire Police said a file had been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and it had been recommended that no action should be taken. The 26-year-old Frenchman has always strenuously denied the woman's claims.

LEEDS AND LIVERPOOL LOOK TO PORTUGAL   LEEDS could add Boavista centre-half Litos to their stable of Portuguese-schooled players before they start their UEFA Cup campaign next season. Manager George Graham, whose team clinched a European spot when West Ham could only draw at Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, likes the look of Litos and is keen to team the 24-year-old with Portugal midfielder Bruno Ribeiro and Dutch striker Jimmy Hasselbaink, who played with Litos at Boavista. But Bobby Robson is using his Portuguese contacts to tempt Litos to PSV Eindhoven, however, and Valencia of Spain are interested in him too. Club chairman Joao Loureiro said he does not want to sell the player but is forced to because Boavista are losing £2m a year. Litos, whose real name is Carlos Manuel Magalhaes, is keen to move on after two years with the club: "I grew up as a footballer here, but I do not want to stay. I want to go further in my career. I want to play for a big club, in Portugal or abroad. It's what I've been working towards." Leeds could miss out though, because Litos is a fan of Robson following his successes in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon and Porto. He said: "I would be honoured to play for any of the clubs mentioned. PSV are going to be led by a coach who has already been in Portuguese football and he knows my worth, and I'd be happy to sign for him." LIVERPOOL are said to have lodged a bid for Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese international defender Beto. The 22-year-old centre-half, who was exposed by England when he won his second cap last month at Wembley, is one of his country's brightest young stars and would cost around £3m.

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