Drogba to leave Chelsea

The Blaugrana are preparing to step up their pursuit of the Ivory Coast forward and are believed to now know the price that they will have to pay to land him, Sport state.Chelsea have been reluctant to sell, but Drogba is keen to try one last new challenge in his career and sees a stint at Barcelona as the perfect move.

While Luis Felipe Scolari has said publicly that he wants the player to stay, it is believed that if a suitable replacement can be found then he will agree to the transfer.Drogba has wanted to move away from Stamford Bridge since José Mourinho's departure last season and has already agreed that he woujld sign a three-year deal at Camp Nou.Money is not an issue because the London outfit would be able to top what is on offer at Barcelona and it is simply a question of ambition at this stage in his career.

After turning 30, Drogba wants to taste life in either the Spanish or Italian leagues and Pep Guardiola's interest has swayed him towards a move to la Primera.Barça's interest could well see Mourinho move to make a bid for his former goalscorer, but he is still keen on prising Frank Lampard away and knows that talks over another Blues player could jeopardise that.
Now Drogba is believed to want to wrap up a deal quickly in order to avoid the saga becoming tiresome and will use his absence from Chelsea's tour of the Far East to leave the club.