"Right now, Guus Hiddink is in Turkey at a Russian national side training camp," the Russian Football Union source said. "However, on Thursday, right after the conclusion of the camp, Hiddink and his lawyer will fly to London. The issue of the trainer signing a contract could be resolved in the next few days."
Hiddink has been strongly linked with the vacant Chelsea post since the London club sacked Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari on Monday after a run of what the club called "deteriorating" results. The club has been owned by Russian billionaire Abramovich since 2003.
Media reports have suggested that Hiddink may take over as Chelsea manager until the end of the season. The Russian national side has just two World Cup qualifiers in that period - at home to Azerbaijan on March 28 and away to Lichtenstein on April 1, both of which should be easy wins.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sergei Kapkov, the head of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's National Football Academy, which pays Hiddink's wages, said that the 62-year-old's contract "allows for the possibility of a joint posting and work by Guus Hiddink in any foreign or Russian club."
The Russian Football Union also said on Tuesday that it was ready to give the green light for Hiddink to combine the posts.
Confirming that Chelsea had been in touch in connection with the possibility of Hiddink taking over at the club, the Russian Football Union said in a statement that it was "ready to agree to the proposal...as it does not contradict the terms of Hiddink's contract."
The statement also said however that the trainer's priority would remain his work with the Russian national side.
The ex-Real Madrid and Dutch national team coach took over as trainer of the Russian national side in 2006. Despite some initial resistance to having a foreigner in charge of the team, the vast majority of the country has now been won over. Indeed, such was the affection felt for Hiddink that babies were named in his honor after the side's 3-1 victory over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008.
Hiddink's contract runs through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, although he earlier said that had not ruled out extending it "if he felt needed."
