Chelsea has signed Porto defender Jose Bosingwa for 16.2 million pounds on Monday. The 25-year-old has agreed a three-year contract with the Champions League finalists and will move to London after competing in Euro 2008. On 11 May 2008, Porto had announced that Bosingwa had come to verbal agreements with Chelsea for a €20.5million/£16.2m transfer.

A statement on Chelsea’s official website confirmed that Jose Bosingwa has agreed terms with Chelsea Football Club and will join the club after Euro 2008. Bosingwa was also attracting interest from Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Bosingwa was born in Kinshasa, Congo, but moved to Portugal with his parents when he was a child.

Jose Mourinho signed him for Porto in 2003. Bosingwa’s stunning performance has helped continue the club’s domestic dominance as well as winning six caps for Portugal.

Bosingwa has been a key element in the team’s conquest of four league titles in five seasons. Started as a midfielder, Bosingwa is now fully established as a right-back.

The Rugby Football Union on Wednesday said that they were in talks with the Professinal Rugby Players’ Association over the issue of performance-related pay on international stars. RFU says that ”The RFU can confirm that it is in talks with the PRA (Professional Rugby Players’ Association) and players representatives regarding match fees, for the period July 2008 to June 2012. PRA cites this contract offer as “unfair”.

According to the latest reports, England players are currently paid £9,000 each per game, a flat-rate regardless of the result. Instead of paying players around £100,000 a year in total, the RFU have offered a smaller amount of about £65,000, with the rest to be topped up by win bonuses.

Another report suggested the players could be prepared to take strike action that might affect next month’s two-Test New Zealand tour.

PRA chairman David Barnes told the media: “There is a bit of a problem at the moment - not exclusively about money.

“The major bone of contention is win bonuses on a match-by-match basis. In a team game in which anything can happen and the team can play very well and lose, we believe that to be unfair.

“I don’t believe England players are frightened of the concept of an end-of-tournament bonus being paid on top of a fair and negotiated match fee calculated on their finishing position in the Six Nations and World Cup.”

Meanwhile the Rugby Football Union say talks are continuing in a “positive and productive manner” over England players’ match fees.