Instead, JM reserves words of praise for Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who he seems to hold more responsible for winning him lots of silverware at Stamford Bridge. Talk about a come-and-get-me-plea from the Internazionale manager. The Daily Mail report that he’s practically tripping over himself (an amusing thought) to land Lamps and Deputy Drog, as well as Deco.

The former Blues boss, who is also keen to sign Barcelona’s Deco — who he managed at Porto and is also a target for Chelsea — said: “I am not nostalgic but I really like those three players, they helped me win some great titles.

“I cannot forget Deco, Lampard and Drogba.

“These are players who I could never say no to. I would love to work with them again in future, but I am not too obsessed with this idea.

“I don’t know which of the three will leave their clubs but we’ll see.”

It would almost be more of a surprise if Drogba didn’t leave for Milan in the summer, especially with all his histrionics last season, threatening to stop playing for Chelsea after they axed his beloved manager. Surely the club are preparing to lose him, although is Lampard’s exit as certain?

“At the moment I have just two possibilities – Chelsea and Inter,” he said.

“I haven’t yet sealed a deal with either of them. I haven’t yet decided on my future as I must meet with my agent and see what’s best.

But I won’t go to a club that I don’t like or won’t let me win trophies, as this is my goal.

Undoubtedly my relationship with him (new coach Jose Mourinho) is excellent and that could be a key point, but I have to consider other factors.

Inter are a good squad that could meet any player’s ambitions. So do Chelsea, and I have friends there, too.”

Though he did not have a good campaign for Barca last season, many believe that the 30-year-old has enough left in the tank to make an impact. His expected fee will likely be around the 15 million pound mark, which seems too high for a player who is getting older and was not in good form last season. However, Roman Abramovich and Mourinho seem to disagree with me.

Spending big money on Deco only makes sense for Chelsea if Frank Lampard is determined to leave the Bridge for Inter Milan. Otherwise, I do not see how Deco and Lampard will fit into the same midfield, which would make one of them a very expensive substitute.

In Inter Milan’s case, a move for Deco makes more sense. Though they won Serie A, they lack a true central, creative midfielder, who is the quality of Deco. He would also be more suited to the slower Italian game, as he seems to have lost a step in the last year or two.

My money is on Milan. Do Chelsea fans want to splash the cash on Deco? Do they think that they can hold Jose off and win his signature?