Chelsea are set to defy the wishes of the Stamford Bridge fans by letting Didier Drogba leave the club this month.
Ivory Coast goal ace Drogba struck the third FA Cup Final winner of his career last Saturday against Liverpool, and will lead the line for Roberto Di Matteo's men in the Champions League Final next Saturday.
But that May 19 clash with Bayern Munich will be Drogba’s last game in a Chelsea shirt unless there is a massive change of heart by the powers that be in SW6.
The 34-year-old’s demands for a new two-year deal have fallen on deaf ears,as the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are determined to build the team around fellow forward Fernando Torres.
Drogba has scored 12 goals this season - five in 12 games under Di Matteo - to take his tally to 156 in 340 appearances since his £24million arrival from Marseille in 2004.
The fan favourite has received some huge offers from Chinese clubs Shanghai Shenhua - now managed by his former Blues team-mate Nicolas Anelka - and Ghangzhou Evergrande.
But his preferred option is to remain with Chelsea for two more years before hanging up his boots.
Senior figures at the club, however, appear set to ignore Drogba’s immense contribution over the last eight years - and his part in the astonishing turnaround under Di Matteo that has taken the club to its second Champions League Final.
Some have privately accused Drogba of only performing at his best when it suits him - pointing to the fact that he has only scored five league goals this season and suggesting his influence is on the wane.
Such a view flies in the face of his recent displays though, including Wembley strikes against Spurs and Liverpool in the semis and final of the FA Cup.
But with Chelsea facing Europa League football next season unless they beat Bayern, and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play provisions now kicking in, Drogba will be let go unless owner Roman Abramovich has a change of heart in the next fortnight.
Source : Mirror.co.uk
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