Chelsea told to make `serious` offer for star

Rio de Janeiro: Brazil`s football club Atletico Mineiro has warned Chelsea they will need to make "a serious" offer to buy highly rated midfielder Bernard.

The 20-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the London club in the January transfer window after an outstanding season for Atletico in Brazil`s Serie A championship, reports Xinhua. "We haven`t had a serious offer yet," Atletico`s president Alexandre Kalil said. "We are going to wait because people in the know tell me that the offers will come." Led by Bernard and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, Atletico rose from 15th in 2011 to second in Brazil`s top flight standings this year. While the club has already secured Ronaldinho for another season, Kalil said he would not hesitate to sell Bernard if the price was right. "I don`t have any qualms about selling anybody," Kalil said. "You have to sell and sell for good money. If you sell Bernard, how much do you need to make up for that loss? That is what I have to think about." IANS