CHELSEA are refusing to give up hope of landing Andrea Pirlo - even though AC Milan insist he is off the market. (Daily Star)Owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ready to pay �17m for the playmaker.

CHELSEA are refusing to give up hope of landing Andrea Pirlo - even though AC Milan insist he is off the market. (Daily Star)

Owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ready to pay �17m for the playmaker.

Pirlo is the one player new boss Carlo Ancelotti told the Russian tycoon he wants with him at Stamford Bridge.

But the Blues irritated Milan by offering just �6.5m plus striker Claudio Pizarro. And Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi yesterday said Pirlo, 30, was no longer for sale.

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba has signed a three-year deal with Chelsea. The striker said: “I love the club. I feel good here and I want to continue to win titles with them.”