Chelsea still lead chase for Essien

Chelsea remain favourites to sign Lyon midfielder Michael Essien despite reports from France suggesting that Arsenal are ready to steal the player from under their noses.

Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is understood to have held further talks with the Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas ahead of an improved bid for the Ghana international.

The French champions have already rejected Chelsea’s bid of £21m for the midfield star and while Aulas has hinted there is interest from two of their Barclays Premiership rivals, the English champions are expected to lodge an increased bid in the next few days, possibly even earlier.

Chelsea have been haggling over the fee with Lyon for the last month but the French champions are determined to hold out for £30m even though the player is keen to move to Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal are understood to have an interest in Essien following the departure of Patrick Vieira to Juventus earlier this summer.

The Gunners see Essien as the perfect replacement for their former skipper but could well be put off by the asking price.

Meanwhile, Chelsea captain John Terry believes Vieira’s loss from Highbury gives them an advantage in the forthcoming title battle and in Sunday’s Community Shield.

Vieira quit Arsenal for Juventus in a £13.75m move and Terry reckons that can only boost Chelsea’s hopes of retaining the title.

He said: “He is obviously going to be a big miss. Arsene Wenger has got some great young players who can step into the hole and may be as good as him one day but I think initially they will miss him.”

Terry is also keen for Chelsea to beat Arsenal in this weekend’s Community Shield. The England international believes it is important for Chelsea to gain an early psychological edge over Arsene Wenger’s squad.

He added: “We didn’t beat Arsenal last year despite winning the title and to get a win under our belts would be the perfect way to get one up on them.

“We feel really sharp, the training has been good and we all have the same attitude as last season.”

However, on Merseyside, Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez brushed off Jose Mourinho’s claims that Steven Gerrard will regret snubbing the Londoners.

Gerrard appeared poised to move to Stamford Bridge earlier this summer after stating he would not sign a new Anfield contract following a bid from Chelsea.

But just 24 hours later, the England international changed his mind and signed a new contract with Liverpool.

Mourinho feels Gerrard will look back on his career with regret and boasted that Chelsea would win more trophies over the next decade.

But Benitez is not affected in the slightest by Mourinho’s remarks and feels it is merely a sign of how strong his squad now is.

He said: “I like to hear people talking about us, that means we are important. For me, I am happy with my team. Gerrard is with us and I think we are a stronger team than before.

“I am convinced we are a better team than last season. When people talk about us, it means it’s true.”