Chelsea circle Porto’s Bosingwa

Jose Bosingwa seems set for Stamford Bridge [GALLO/GETTY]

Chelsea have used some retail therapy to get over losing the English Premier League title by agreeing to deal to bring Portugal and FC Porto right back Jose Bosingwa to Stamford Bridge for $31.6 million.

The Portuguese club announced to the Lisbon Stock Exchange that the transfer depends on the 25-year-old Bosingwa passing medical tests at Stamford Bridge.

The attacking defender has played seven games for Portugal since his debut last year, and was expected to be included in the national squad for the European Championship.

Bosingwa, who started 22 matches for Porto this season, will join Portugal defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira at the Premier League club if the deal goes through.

Questions remain over Sven

Meanwhile, Sven-Goran Eriksson will take Manchester City on a postseason tour of Thailand despite not knowing if he will lead the club next season.

The former England coach had already been in trouble with Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra before Sunday’s crushing 8-1 loss at Middlesbrough because City had slipped to ninth place and out of a top-five finish for a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.

“Sven has not heard any more,” City assistant coach Tord Grip said.

“He will go to Thailand on Tuesday and meet Dr. Thaksin there.”

Eriksson could be gone after completing only one year of a three-year contract when he meets Thaksin in Bangkok.

But he could still take charge of games against a Thai League All-Star team on Saturday and a match in Hong Kong on May 22.

Manchester City fans support their manager [GALLO/GETTY]

Fairplay salvation

One thing in Eriksson’s favour is that the club still has a chance to play in European football’s second-tier competition through the Fair Play leagues operated by UEFA and the Premier League.

UEFA awarded England a fourth UEFA Cup spot because it finished at the top of its Fair Play league and City is in the best position in the Premier League rankings apart from the clubs that have already qualified for European competition.

Of the teams above City in the rankings, Tottenham and Everton are already in the UEFA Cup and Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are in the Champions League.

The rankings are decided on team discipline on the field, positive play, respect toward referees and opponents and the behavior of club officials, and the Premier League said Monday that, with the statistics from the final two rounds of games still to be calculated, City is in the best position.

On Sunday, City had defender Richard Dunne sent off after only 15 minutes for a professional foul during its embarrassing loss at Middlesbrough, however, and some of the visiting fans clashed with police at the end of the game.

“It started badly with Benjani injured after just a couple of minutes,” Eriksson said.

“Then a penalty and red card to our captain so it was a really bad start to the day even though we were in the game until they scored to make it 3-0. After that we didn’t have the mental strength to come back.

“It is bad for everyone. Bad for the fans, for us, our image, the club as a whole.”