RONALDINHO ... now in Italy

FURIOUS Chelsea have been caught up in a bitter row over an alleged £7million bribe for the transfer of Ronaldinho.

Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta claims rival Sandro Rosell tried to persuade him to share a £7m kick-back Chelsea were allegedly willing to pay if the club sold them the Brazilian superstar in 2004.

Chelsea last night vehemently denied offering any bribe and there is absolutely no evidence to support Laporta's claims.

A Blues spokesman said: "It's total nonsense. We never made such an offer."

Laporta's claims were made in his explosive book A Dream For My Children published in Spain on Monday.

The Barca president alleged on April 25, 2004, his then vice-president Rosell told him Chelsea were offering 100m euros (then £70m) for Ronaldinho.

Laporta writes: "I told him to get it out of his head, that Ronnie was not for sale and I didn't want to talk about it any more but he added: 'Joan, they are giving us a commission of 10 per cent.'

"Sandro kept insisting about the offer of Chelsea pretending he didn't want it to happen.

"He reminded me that if we accepted they were giving us 10m euros to share between us. That attitude made me profoundly indignant."

Ronaldinho, now at AC Milan, was at the peak of his powers back in 2004.

Rosell resigned his post in June 2005 after a bitter fall-out with Laporta, who steps down as president at the end of his second term this June.

Laporta's book is about his seven years in charge of the Catalan giants.

And Rosell is the overwhelming favourite to win the presidential election.

The claims in the book are seen by his supporters as an effort by Laporta to damage Rosell's chances.

But angry Chelsea now inadvertently find themselves dragged into a storm not of their own making.

In a statement last night Rosell insisted he would sue Laporta unless the Barcelona president retracted the allegations made in the book.

He said: "After reading the accusations levelled at me by Mr Laporta in his book, for a supposed commission for the transfer to Chelsea FC of the player Ronaldinho, and analysing the gravity of those, I want to say that it's absolutely false that this offer was made from my part to Mr Laporta.

"The recounting of this episode, for its total and absolute falsehood, constitutes a grave attack on my honour, and for that reason I reserve my right to take judicial action."