Blues could lose out in Drenthe testhttp://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7011458 Chelsea could lose out to Spanish giants Real Madrid in the race to sign Holland Under-21 defender Royston Drenthe.
The talented Feyenoord left-back was widely acclaimed as one of the players of the European Under-21 Championships in his homeland last month.
And that alerted Europe's big guns to his skills and started the race for his signature.
Over the weekend the broadsheets in England claimed Jose Mourinho's Blues had made a £4.7million bid for Drenthe in a deal that would have seen him stay in Rotterdam next season before moving to London in 2008.
But now reports in Spanish daily Marca suggest Real Madrid have agreed a fee with Feyenoord, and are now waiting to see if Drenthe accepts their offer. He's currently on holiday in Surinam.
Real are desperately trying to land a top-quality left-back after the recent departure of Roberto Carlos to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
They've also been linked with Manchester United's Argentine star Gabriel Heinze.
Marca claims that the 20-year-old Drenthe himself would like to stay in Holland for another season before making the big leap to England or Spain, and that could give the Blues a glimmer of hope in their bid to sign him.