Mourinho ready to call Marseilles' bluff over Drogba transfer fee

CHELSEA'S new head coach Jose Mourinho may be ready to call Marseilles' bluff over striker Didier Drogba by advising Roman Abramovich to present the French club with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.

Chelsea have so far offered just over £18 million for the Ivory Coast striker who is being tagged "the new Thierry Henry" in France.

Hard-up Marseilles, who paid just over £4 million for the player a year ago, have rejected that bid and put a new valuation of £27 million on Drogba - believing that Russian oil billionaire Abramovich will eventually reach down into his deep pockets for the asking price.

Although Mourinho would still like to recruit Drogba, who scored against both Liverpool and Newcastle United during Marseilles' UEFA Cup run last season, he already has four strikers on his books and has not given up on trying to get the best out of Argentina star Hernan Crespo.

Although Abramovich shows no sign of calling a halt to the massive spending spree that has transformed Chelsea since he took over 13 months ago, Mourinho has the self-confidence to insist the club should not be held to ransom.

Mourinho calls Drogba "a good option" but admits signing him could well depend on whether Crespo stays at Stamford Bridge. Crespo, a £16.8m signing from Inter Milan last season, is reportedly under pressure from his family to return to Italy. He was late back for pre-season training but has had a heart-to-heart discussion with Mourinho who has given him until next Wednesday to make up his mind on whether to stay or go.

Mourinho said: "Hernan Crespo is one of three target strikers in the squad and we have made moves towards Drogba.

"A lot rests on whether Crespo stays. We have him and we have Eidur Gudjohnsen who I know will improve even more under the system we will play and we now also have Metaja Kezman. He can be a target man and he can also play wide on the right.

"Drogba has become one of the best strikers in Europe and, since playing against him (as Porto manager), I have looked at him with different eyes. I feel he needs a better club and a better league to show what he really is. If we have an open space (in attack) he is a good option if, in the next few days, we decide about Hernan."

Mourinho has been impressed by Crespo's sharpness and attitude in training since his belated return - as he has with Romanian Adrian Mutu.

Mutu looked an expensive misfit at the end of last season. However, the £15.8m forward, who hit six in his first 10 starts for Chelsea before the goals dried up, reveals he has changed his lifestyle following a reconciliation with ex-wife Alexandra.