We want £15m for Anelka, Blues told by Bolton

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Although the principle of the transfer has been agreed for weeks, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside has snubbed the initial bid in the knowledge that Chelsea are desperately short of strikers.

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Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou have departed for the African Nations Cup and Andriy Shevchenko is out with a foot injury, leaving Claudio Pizarro and young Israeli Ben Sahar as the only recognised strikers in Avram Grant's squad for tonight's Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Everton.

Bolton are clearly in a strong negotiating position, with days slipping by in the January window and few alternatives available.

Chelsea remain confident they will get France striker Anelka, 28, but can expect Bolton to play it tough over money in an effort to force the price up to more than £15m, almost twice the sum they paid Fenerbahce 18 months ago.

Anelka would be available for the latter stages of the Carling Cup, Champions League and FA Cup but Chelsea would like to sign him before Saturday's Barclays Premier League derby against Tottenham.

The only incentive for Bolton to agree to a quick sale is to give themselves more time to buy. Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse, wanted by Bolton last summer before he signed for Marseille, is among those on manager Gary Megson's list of replacements. Cisse, 26, is keen to return to England, and preferably the north west, where he owns a property.

Drogba jetted off to represent the Ivory Coast in the African Nations Cup with a reminder that he still sees his future away from Stamford Bridge.

He told Eurosport: 'I said what I am thinking, that I wanted to leave. (Jose) Mourinho's departure didn't help. It made me want to leave even more.'

Unlike Drogba, Joe Cole has not felt the need to construct a post-Mourinho exit plan. Four-and-a-half years after moving to Chelsea from West Ham the England midfielder insisted that Stamford Bridge feels like his spiritual home.

After preparing for tonight's match, he said: 'I'm committed to Chelsea. I'll stay here for as long as they want me. The club is more than the manager, more than the players. This is a club I love and I'd like to be here a long time.

'I had the captain's armband for 50 minutes against Aston Villa and that was a proud day. I supported the club, I was a ballboy here, I played for them and came through tough times at the start and made myself an important player. I was very proud to wear the armband.

'I do feel, sometimes, if you're the only Englishman out there, you have a connection with the fans. I've been one of them and I know what it's all about.

'There have been a lot of changes over the last five years here, so it's important to keep the things that make Chelsea Chelsea.

'There is a soul here and it riles me when people talk about Chelsea buying the League. I've never seen a pound note score a goal.'

Cole, 26, looks more comfortable playing under Grant, with a licence to pursue his natural attacking instincts and desire to entertain. 'It's probably closer to my own philosophy,' Cole said.

'English players get brought up with a cautious way of playing. It's inbred, we're taught not to take risks.

'Continental teams embrace taking risks. You don't want to be gung-ho but we need to take more risks as a team, not be so cautious, be more confident in our ability.'

John Mikel Obi will be the last of Chelsea's Africans to leave on international duty. He will play against Everton before joining the Nigeria squad tomorrow at their Malaga training camp. Everton's Nigerians Joseph Yobo and Yakubu are also available.

Without Drogba, Obi, Michael Essien and Kalou, and with a catalogue of injuries, Grant's squad are stretched to their limit.

Ricardo Carvalho will return for the Carling Cup semi-final after a three-match ban for a red card against Aston Villa on Boxing Day and goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini trained with the first team on Monday and may be poised to return after a rib injury.

Pizarro is the senior striker in Grant's squad and determined to make an impression before Anelka's arrival.

He said: 'It will be an important month for me with some more chances to play. I'll get into good shape, get some confidence and show what I can do.

'It is a new year and I see it as a new challenge. The last year hasn't always been nice for me and I hope this year will be better.'