Duff takes his time

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Damien Duff was due to hold further talks with Chelsea at the weekend over his proposed £17m transfer from Blackburn.

The Republic of Ireland player was reportedly set to undergo a medical at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Duff's adviser played down claims that the 24-year-old player prefered a move to Manchester United.

Pat Devlin, who flew into London on Saturday to be with Duff, said there had been no official interest from Old Trafford.

"At this point in time, there is only one decision to be made by Damien - whether to move to Chelsea or stay with Blackburn.

"Blackburn have had an offer from only one club - Chelsea.

It's going to be a difficult decision for Damien and I can understand it if he chooses to go Blackburn boss Graeme Souness

"There has been no offer or contact from anyone else and, at this stage, the likelihood is that it is not going to happen.

"It is silly for people to be saying Damien should go to Manchester United because that has not been presented to him as an option.

"Chelsea is the option on offer and we are forging on with that," he told The Sun.

After a week of wrangling, Blackburn and Chelsea agreed a fee of £17m on Thursday, paving the way for Duff to negotiate personal terms with the London club.

Blackburn manager Graeme Souness said it is by no means certain that winger Duff will join Chelsea.

"I can understand why he wants to talk to Chelsea but that doesn't mean to say he'll be signing for them," said Souness.

"If he does end up going then the money we'll receive is a hell of a lot, not just in today's market but the market of two years ago. It's a phenomenal amount of cash.

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"But we would be losing a top player. Left-sided players are very hard to come by and that's why a man who could go out and bid for anyone in the world has gone for Damien," Souness told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph newspaper.