Chelsea says Ashley Cole staying put

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has reiterated the club have no intention of selling England left-back Ashley Cole, linked with a move to Real Madrid, now coached by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

“Ashley is a Chelsea player and nobody wants to sell him. We want to keep him in our squad. I am 100 percent sure he will be at Chelsea this season,” media reports Sunday quoted Ancelotti as saying.

“I consider him to be the best player in his position in the world.

“I don’t need to talk to him. He is happy to stay at Chelsea. He never said he wanted to go. There is no chance he will go. No way.”

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck last week also insisted the England defender was not for sale.

Chelsea are keen to maintain their squad depth, particularly with goalkeeper Petr Cech and centre-back Alex both currently sidelined by injury while Portuguese veteran Ricardo Carvalho says his contract allows him to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.