Pressure grows on Eriksson as Chelsea links resurface

The future of England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was again under scrutiny today amid unsubstantiated reports he met Chelsea chief…

The future of England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was again under scrutiny today amid unsubstantiated reports he met Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon this week.

A British tabloid  has  published pictures which the newspaper claims show the Swede visiting Kenyon's west London home on Thursday evening.

The report follows a meeting between Eriksson and Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich in July last year.

Eriksson's contract runs through to the 2006 World Cup but the FA have already opened negotiations over a two-year extension.

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Current Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri is expected to leave at the end of the season as Abramovich seeks a more high profile figure to go with the £130million he has spent on players.

It is not the first time Kenyon and Eriksson have been connected.

The former Lazio manager was top of United's list to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, who later decided against retirement, when Kenyon was chief executive at Old Trafford.

Eriksson has consistently denied he is interested in leaving England before the end of his contract.

He said last month: "There are clubs around Europe phoning and asking, but I always say I'm not interested. I have a good deal and an excellent job.

"I have a contract until 2006 and I have no offer from any club and I've never had any discussions about it."

PA