Chelsea may join Spurs and Arsenal in Vieira hunt

Patrick Vieira, Arsenal's legendary midfielder who now plies his trade with Italian champions Inter Milan in Serie A, could find himself at the centre of a remarkable three-way battle to secure his signature during January's transfer window. The latest club to enter the equation is Chelsea, who join Spurs and Arsenal in seeking Vieira's services.

The Blues' talismanic striker Didier Drogba has recommended to manager Carlo Ancelotti that - if the Stamford Bridge outfit has its Uefa transfer ban revoked - the club should move for the 33-year-old Frenchman.

"It would be a good move for Chelsea to bring Patrick in," the Ivory Coast international said. "Don't forget we are going to miss several players in January, particularly in midfield, because of the African Nations Cup. We played against Vieira last summer and he was very strong." Should Ancelotti take the advice of his leading scorer, however, he will have to fight off interest from the two north London Premier League sides.

Vieira's time at Arsenal is the stuff of legend; during his nine years at Highbury he turned out 279 times, winning three league titles and four FA Cups. He forged a reputation as one of the most formidable central midfielders in the Premier League, and enjoyed titanic battles with the like-minded Manchester United skipper Roy Keane. He remains a firm favourite with the Arsenal fans, and would be welcomed back by them with open arms.

Although Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is always focused on bringing young players into his side, the one recent criticism of Arsenal since the departure of Vieira to Juventus in 2005 is that they have lacked the stomach for a fight, something the former French captain never did. "Patrick was an amazing, fantastic player for us," Wenger was reported as saying in Sunday's News of the World. "For me, he is perfect for every team. We are very young and it is difficult to win with a young team." The paper claimed that a £70,000-a-week deal had been agreed with the player, but the club has refused to comment.

Meanwhile Tottenham seems the least likely of the three clubs top get him. Despite being out of favour at the San Siro under Jose Mourinho, and knowing that he must be playing regular top-flight football to break into France's national team again (should they even qualify for South Africa), the likelihood of such a proud Gunner as Vieira crossing the great Arsenal-Spurs divide seems pretty low. ·