Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has insisted Didier Drogba will not be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge in January.

The 30-year-old striker reportedly met with an Inter Milan official last week, leading to suggestions he could join former Blues manager Jose Mourinho at the Italian club.

But, in the wake of Chelsea's 2-1 defeat by Arsenal yesterday for which Drogba was suspended, Kenyon claimed it was "not relevant" whether or not the meeting had happened.

He added: "Didier's under contract with us for the next 18 months. He will be going nowhere in January."

Kenyon also ruled out making new signings in the January transfer window, underlining the importance of Drogba to a Chelsea squad where options in attack are already limited.

Drogba, who has yet to score in the Premier League this season, is now serving a three-match ban for throwing a coin back into the crowd during the Carling Cup defeat against Burnley.

Having been sent off in last season's Champions League Final, he was expected to be sold last summer but no club matched Chelsea's valuation of the Ivory Coast international.

Reports of a meeting with Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca and Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes, emerged in the lead-up to Chelsea's Champions League game in Bordeaux last week.

In response, Drogba would only reiterate that he has a Chelsea contract until 2010, a fact not lost on Kenyon.

"Whether people leave Chelsea is as much down to us as anybody else," said Kenyon. "I don't know whether he did or he didn't [meet Inter representatives].

"But he's a big player for us and we want him back.

"He's one of those players who can make a difference."

On the prospect of January transfer signings to strengthen Chelsea's squad, Kenyon added: "I don't think we will be doing any business because the type of players we are looking for are not available.

"Another reason is that we have still got some long-term injury victims coming back."