heh the plot thickens
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4778123.stm
Chelsea break off from Cole talks
Ashley Cole
Chelsea claim they have options other than Cole
Chelsea have broken off negotiations with Arsenal over the transfer of England left-back Ashley Cole.
The Premiership champions posted a statement on their website on Wednesday claiming to have made "a very substantial offer" for the 25-year-old.
But Chelsea's statement added that "no agreement can be reached in the current circumstances" with Arsenal.
Blues manager Jose Mourinho later said the club would not offer "one single pound more" for the defender.
"I haven't lost patience," Mourinho said.
"Ashley Cole is Arsenal's player and they have the power in their hands to say yes or no.
You will have to ask Arsenal if it will happen now
Jose Mourinho speaking on Wednesday
"We have the power in our hands to say how far our offer goes. The offer went to the limit. The club does not move one single pound more and I completely agree with that.
"Our offer is an excellent offer for an excellent player. It's in their hands. They say no and no is no."
It has been reported that Arsenal want £25m for Cole, with Chelsea offering much less for the defender.
On Tuesday Mourinho told Arsenal an agreement on a transfer had to be made within two days.
And now Mourinho seems to be ready to stick to that and pursue other left-backs, with the transfer deadline now three weeks away.
The full statement from Stamford Bridge read: "Chelsea FC has been in discussions with Arsenal Football Club for some time over the possible transfer of Ashley Cole.
"Chelsea has made a very substantial offer for the player.
"Although discussions have continued, Arsenal's valuation of the player does not match Chelsea's and therefore no agreement can be reached in the current circumstances."
However, Mourinho also appeared to leave the door slightly open for the transfer to be revived.
He said: "We have been looking all the time at other players. When you try to sign a player, you can't think this is the only player in the world you can get. You have to look at some alternatives.
"Of course he was an important choice for us but I believe he was also an important choice for them and they probably want to keep him.
"You will have to ask Arsenal if it will happen now. If I sign another left-back. I only want one more left-back. I don't want two. But there is a chance it will happen."
The saga of Cole's transfer to Chelsea started when the player was fined, along with Mourinho, for in June 2005 for meeting in a London hotel without Arsenal's knowledge.
If we have no solution about him in a couple of days, we turn the corner and we see other faces
Jose Mourinho speaking on Tuesday
Cole's relationship with the Gunners became strained and in promotional material for his new book the defender criticised the club for making him a "scapegoat" over the tapping-up affair.
Then this week Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he wanted the saga resolved within a week.
"I do not know what will happen with Ashley Cole in the next few days, but for me certainly the deadline has come now to make a decision one way or the other," Wenger told BBC London on Monday.
"This week is the last limit I can expect something to happen."
Mourinho followed up by saying: "It is in their hands and we have to wait. If we have no solution about him in a couple of days, we turn the corner and we see other faces."
Chelsea currently have just one recognised left-back in their squad, in the shape of Wayne Bridge, although William Gallas can play there assuming he resolved his own dispute with the west London club.
But it seems Cole could now start the season with Arsenal, however reluctantly.
The left-back, who played in last season's Champions League final and was an ever-present at the World Cup for his country, was left out of Arsenal's squad for Tuesday's match against Dinamo Zagreb.
Wenger insisted that was due to a lack of match fitness, rather than to avoid the player being cup-tied.