Chelsea flop staying put, no move to Russia in the works

Radamel Falcao has not had a pleasant experience in the Premier League. Between an unsuccessful loan spell at Man United and his current state of flux with the Chelsea starters, the Columbia striker is pining for an early end to his current loan spell. Unfortunately for him, at least one door appears to have been closed on him.

According to Sporting Life, Falcao has been interested in a move to Zenit St. Petersburg, a club managed by his former Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas. But the interest is reportedly not mutual as Villas-Boas told the Zenit official website.

"No I haven’t had a conversation with Jose (Mourinho about Falcao)," Villas-Boas said.

"The player belongs to Chelsea, on loan from Monaco…"

Villas-Boas explained that Russian rules and restrictions along with financial rules and Falcao’s salary were major obstacles to reuniting with his former star.

"It’s difficult to bring such a player to Russia with the rules and regulations we have," he added.

"We tried to bring him here in the summer at the start of the season, but then the rules changed a week before the season started.

"We can’t bring him here because of the rules and we don’t have space…

"Due to the limitations we can’t bring Falcao here, his salary is immense too and the financial rules in place prevent this, this is the rule chosen by (Zenit president) Mr. Mutko and so this is impossible."

Falcao and Villas-Boas had an incredible season together at Porto in the 2010-11 season, winning the Primeira Liga, Taca de Portugal, and the UEFA Europa League. Falcao would set a career-high with 38 goals in all competitions while Porto would finish undefeated in Portugal with 27 wins and only three draws.