The Blues have travelled to Germany for a training camp which will culminate in a low-profile friendly match with 1860 Munich.

Mark Hughes and his men headed off on Monday, leaving behind the media frenzy surrounding City's bid to land England captain John Terry and really signal their intent to crash into the top four this season.

“It is a good place to go in terms of morale, bonding, and giving us that base of fitness we need," Hughes told the official club website when talking about the pre-season camp.

"I know the area well and everything that we need is there.

“The training pitches are fantastic and we are in an environment where we are all close together. There are some new faces for everyone to get to know. From that point of view it ticks all the boxes."

As of Monday afternoon, the Terry story is being dominated by the comments of new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who told his first press call: "John Terry is the symbol of this team, he will be captain.

"He wants to stay at Chelsea forever and we want to keep him forever.

"There is a question of Manchester City but for Terry there is no price."