EXCLUSIVE: Petulant dismissal seals fate of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba

The club's patience with the £24million striker snapped after he was shown a red card following his petulant flick in the face of United defender Nemanja Vidic.

Shameful exit: Didier Drogba is escorted off in Moscow by an assistant referee

Drogba had been earmarked to take one of Chelsea's penalties, but did not even remain on the sidelines to watch the drama unfold in the shoot-out.

Milan was the striker's favoured destination, but their failure to qualify for the Champions League next season has placed the move in jeopardy.

Drogba will be the biggest casualty in a summer clear-out that will see the squad trimmed to 25 names, but there will be a string of imports under a new coach. Chief executive Peter Kenyon revealed: "If a top player goes then we need a replacement of that quality. Every player we bring in has to be better than what we've got. That's the difficult bit. We're operating in a very small market place.

"Therefore, retaining our top players is a key component of the squad. The strategy is clear - homegrown for obvious reasons, the core being English which is a strength, and having players on long-term contracts so you're not going through constant change."

Kenyon, owner Roman Abramovich, director Eugene Tenenbaum and chairman Bruce Buck are still discussing Avram Grant's exit strategy, but it is only a matter of time before he is relieved of his duties.

Despite claims to the contrary, Frank Rijkaard, who built one of the best club sides in European football at Barcelona, is still under consideration.

But he has hinted that he may make a surprise move to the Middle East. Chelsea want the best of both worlds by appointing a big name to succeed Grant and finding a way to appease - and incorporate - the Israeli under a new boss at Stamford Bridge.

Kenyon, Tenenbaum and Buck all declined to comment about Grant yesterday - a clear indication that the Israeli no longer has a future as manager.

Although Grant has been credited with the recovery following Jose Mourinho's acrimonious exit last September, his failure to win any of the four major trophies has sealed his fate at a club thirsty for success.

Kenyon indicated that Chelsea are prepared to spend big again in order to recapture the Barclays Premier League and go one step further in the Champions League.

Jose Bosingwa has already been signed from Porto for £16m as a replacement for Juliano Belletti at right back, and is the first of three, possibly four, stellar signings.

Kenyon said: "We've bought Bosingwa and that strengthens a position which has been an issue for some time. It was good to get that done but I think it's two (more) rather than 20. We are pretty confident about the players we want to keep. That has always been our position."

Frank Lampard, linked with Inter Milan earlier this week, is also expected to stay after indicating his willingness to sign a new contract.

Lampard said: "I have to talk to the club because my contract has obviously been the last thing on my mind recently. I will sit down with the club after the England games and hope to come to a conclusion. I'm pretty confident we can."

Kenyon added: "With Frank, he is one of the top players in the world in his position and there's no question that a deal for him has always been on the cards. That's certainly one of the things we'd like to sort out to get rid of the speculation as soon as possible.

"Again, everybody is off now for a while and I think we'll talk after the internationals. That's fair because everyone needs a break."