Drogba's Chelsea exit talk denied

Didier Drogba's representatives have denied reports which suggested the striker had already announced that he will leave Chelsea.

Quotes from France Football surfaced on Monday in an article which claimed the 34-year-old had already told teammates of his decision to quit Stamford Bridge after Chelsea's Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich.

"We [Drogba and his Chelsea teammates] will not be together next season," he was quoted as saying in France Football magazine.

"As I have decided to leave, I wanted to tell them to their faces. They made me break down. I found it hard to admit that it was finished with me and the club.

Fellow striker Fernando Torres recently complained of having to start Saturday's victory over Bayern Munich among the substitutes with the Ivorian starting, and Drogba does not want to be relegated to the bench.

He added: "I don't envisage sitting on the bench watching others play at a time when the club is looking at putting together a new team.

"So there we go, I am readying myself for a great leap into the unknown. It will be another adventure."

Earlier this month, reports surfaced linking Drogba with a move to Shanghai Shenhua on an estimated 250,000 pounds-per-week.

The Ivorian would join former team-mate Nicolas Anelka in China should he make the move to the Far East.