Marseille turn down £18m Blues bid for deadly Drogba

MARSEILLE are reported to have turned down an £18million bid from Chelsea for striker Didier Drogba.

The 25-year-old Ivory Coast international, whose contract at the Stade Velodrome runs until 2008, is known to be a target of new Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho although it was believed a deal would depend on the future of Hernan Crespo.

Crespo has yet to decide whether he wants to remain at Stamford Bridge - a loan move to AC Milan has been mooted, leaving Mourinho waiting to see if he needs to get a replacement.

Despite snubbing Chelsea's initial bid, it is believed talks between Marseille and Chelsea are continuing.

Drogba, who cost Marseille £4m when he moved from Guingamp in June 2003, scored 19 goals in Ligue 1 last season and 11 in Europe.

Mourinho said on Sunday: "What I can say is that Didier Drogba is one of the best strikers in Europe. I feel he needs a better club and a better league to show what he really is."

If Drogba moves to Stamford Bridge he will link up with recent signing Mateja Kezman who is anticipating tough competition for places.

The 25-year-old Serbian's £5m move from PSV Eindhoven went through yesterday after he was granted a work permit.

Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez says that after his landslide victory in Sunday's presidential election he is now aiming to recruit one of the world's top players before next season.

"This business works by winning trophies and by signing a 'galactico' each season," Perez said. "I am going to continue the policy of bringing one in every year.

"The result of the election obliges me to do this more than ever. We have to construct a competitive team."

The Spanish sporting media have reported that Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Francesco Totti and Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry are targets.

Perez declined to reveal the potential new recruits but said he was not put off by clubs who said their players were off-limits. "There are no players that are not for sale," he said. "The only problem is the money."

Real have made just one signing - Argentine centre back Walter Samuel from AS Roma for €25m - since ending last season without a major trophy for the first time in five years.

The club has also been negotiating with Porto with a view to signing central defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Costinha and they have been in talks with Real Sociedad over Spanish international Xabi Alonso.

Chief executive David Gill has admitted Manchester United are keeping an eye out for potential successors to Alex Ferguson even though they do not think the long-serving Scot has any plans to stand down as manager.

Ferguson is about to enter the final season of a three-year contract, after which the rolling one-year deal he signed in January takes effect.

At 62, Ferguson has given no indication he is about to call time on his illustrious career and even the pacemaker he had fitted last winter has not managed to slow him down.

However, Gill is aware the man who has captured eight Premiership titles and a European Cup during his time at Old Trafford cannot go on forever.

Ferguson believed current England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had been lined up to take over from him when he was initially supposed to retire two summers ago, while Ottmar Hitzfeld, Fabio Capello, Steve McClaren, Martin O'Neill and Marcello Lippi have all been linked with the job at some stage over the past couple of years.

United have hired top fitness coach Valter di Salvo to join the Old Trafford backroom team.

The 40-year-old Italian, who worked with Carlos Queiroz at Real Madrid last season, was criticised by David Beckham for the England skipper's lack of fitness during Euro 2004.

Beckham appears to be in a minority when assessing di Salvo's skills.

He was at United's Carrington training ground yesterday and completes Ferguson's coaching team for next season, with Queiroz back alongside Ferguson following his ill-fated year at the Bernabeu.