World Football : Another Contender In The Bidding War For Arsenal's Adebayor?

As if AC Milan and Barcelona weren't enough. Reports circulating around London are speculating Chelsea have joined the bidding war for Arsenal's Adebayor. Chelsea are believed to be considering entering the race to sign Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The player's future now looks almost certain to be away from the Emirates stadium after the Togo forward set out his extravagant wage demands over the weekend.

Barcelona remains the most likely destination for the player after he admitted he would love to join the Spanish giants but, with doubts over whether or not Didier Drogba will remain at Stamford Bridge next season, Chelsea have emerged as genuine challengers to any deal.

 Adebayor has made it clear to the Arsenal hierarchy that he believes his performances last year merit a pay rise to around £120,000 a week - in the region of an inflation-busting 300 per cent increase - and if an offer is not forthcoming then he will look for it elsewhere.

Chelsea would have no trouble meeting that figure as well as being able to cover a transfer fee, which, due to additional interest from AC Milan, looks set to rise to around £30 million. Milan is the only team so far to table a concrete offer for the player.

Despite his public protestations to the contrary, Arsene Wenger is believed to have privately conceded that Adebayor will leave. He now must balance the need to raise as much money as possible from his sale against the prospect of one of Arsenal's main rivals taking a player Wenger has done much to mould in to a top-level player since his arrival from Monaco.

If, as expected, Wenger fails to persuade Adebayor to stay at Arsenal, he will revive his interest in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins. The Arsenal manager is a long time admirer of the Nigerian though he would be unwilling to meet Newcastle's asking price of around £15 million.

Martins has a release clause in his contract, set at £13 million, which can be triggered by the player handing in a transfer request. The club had offered Martins an improved, £80,000 a week contract but the new deal was never signed and the club has since withdrawn the offer.

It's not often we see a player moving from Arsenal to Chelsea or vice versa but recently William Gallas and Ashley Cole were part of such a deal. Chelsea have all the money and Arsenal could be tempted.