Chelsea are reportedly lining up a January swoop for Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery with owner Roma Abramovich ready to splash out a sensational £45m to secure the Frenchman’s services.

According to the Daily Mail, the Russian billionaire has told new Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay that landing the Bayern Munich superstar Franck Ribery is his number one priority.

With the Blues’ transfer ban having been temporarily lifted, coach Carlo Ancelotti is ready to splash the cash as he seeks to bolster his table-topping side in the wake of the departure of midfeilders Saloman Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien, as well as striker Didier Drogba to the African Cup of Nations.

Landing Ribery for an extraordinary £45million would also make the Frenchman the highest paid player in the entire Premier League.

The 26-year-old has fallen out with new Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal and sat out during the Bavarians narrow 1-0 win over Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa in their crucial Group A UEFA Champions League tie at the Allianz Arena recently

The man once described by Zinedine Zidane as the "jewel of French football" has been a top target for many of Europe’s elite clubs including Manchester United, AC Milan and Real Madrid, but Chelsea look set to beat them all and make ‘Scarface’ the most expensive ever player in Premier League history.