Chelsea were refusing to become embroiled in yet more controversy over their Ivory Coast striker after it was alleged that Inter Milan's sporting director Marco Branca had met Drogba in a Fulham restaurant on Monday night.

Reports also suggested that Inter coach and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes, and the player's representative were also present at the dinner meeting.

Although Mourinho later claimed to know nothing about the alleged meeting, Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was clearly on edge when asked if Drogba had met Branca.

"I do not sleep with him (Drogba)," retorted Scolari. "Where he was last night? I don't know. I am not a policeman for my players."

But when the Brazilian was asked to clarify if Drogba had been given permission to be in the company of Branca, Scolari's tone worsened.

"Ask Peter Kenyon (chief executive), ask Roman Abramovich, I don't know, I am only the coach."

Earlier Scolari had maintained that it was the work of agents trying to shift players to other clubs but Chelsea refused to comment.

The club were aware that it was circulating this afternoon but were determined not to discuss the issue. Scolari has not yet spoken to the player about the issue but there is little doubt it will be discussed.

Mourinho insists he has no plans to bring his former player to the San Siro despite the latest link.

"I don't know where Branca was, I was at dinner at Cernobbio," he said. "I know absolutely nothing about this story.

"I know on the other hand that Drogba is part of the history of Chelsea and, from afar, it seems to me that he is and will be a Chelsea player."

Drogba was heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer but decided to remain with the Blues.

However, he missed over a month of the season with a knee injury and caused controversy in his comeback match when he threw a coin back at Burnley fans in Chelsea's Carling Cup defeat - earning himself a three-match ban in the process.

Drogba is still serving that suspension in England but can take part in European competitions and is part of the Chelsea squad in Bordeaux.

Scolari's mood darkened the moment Drogba's future was raised and it certainly will not have helped his preparation for such a vital game against Laurent Blanc's side.

A win will see Chelsea, who are one point ahead of Roma and Bordeaux, qualify for the knockout stages but a defeat would plunge them into a tense last round game against CFR Cluj at Stamford Bridge.

It is a critical moment in Scolari's fledgling Chelsea career and the coach knows it. Chelsea hammered Bordeaux 4-0 at Stamford Bridge but so far in Europe, Scolari's side have yet to taste victory on their travels.

"We need to qualify," he said. "We need to get to the second stage. We lost one chance against Roma, this will be our second chance.

"Bordeaux didn't start very well in the Champions League but they are now in good condition and we will respect them. They have six points and we have seven, there is not much difference.

"In the Champions League we play against the best teams in Europe. It is different to the Premier League. In the Premier we play against teams in 18th and 19th positions as well as the top three.

"In the Champions League we are up against teams that finished first, second or third in their country. Maybe we are more adapted to England than playing away in the Champions League?"

Chelsea are without the suspended Deco and have left injured stars Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Juliano Belletti and Franco di Santo at home.