Cagliari's President Massimop Cellino told the Daily Mirror, "Abramovich sent Zola a fax offering him £3million- I have seen it with my own eyes.
"He also contacted me by phone, via an Italian middleman, offering me £1.25million to tear up Zola's contract.
"I got another call from Abramovich on Thursday, this time offering me a million pounds to call off the deal. I told him no straight away."
And it seems that there is no going back for Zola, who appears happy with his decision to join his hometown club: "I think I have made the right decision. My reputation with the Sardinian people was at stake. I knew that they were expecting a great deal from me."