"Ashley Cole is committed to this club until 2007 and we are in the process of negotiating an extension to his contract."
An official complaint from Arsenal, at this stage, could have far reaching effects on the Premiership title race, but the Premier League have said they have to await a formal protest from Highbury.
The sensational row between Chelsea and Arsenal over Cole was reignited today by new evidence emerged which appeared to confirm Mourinho did tap up the England defender.
A new witness has come forward to reveal how they saw Cole, Mourinho and Kenyon discussing a move last week.
According to the Sun newspaper, the witness is an employee at the Royal Park hotel, where the meeting is said to have taken place last Thursday.
The employee has signed an affidavit for the newspaper to back up their allegations.
Publicly, Kenyon and the club have steadfastly refused to deny the claims, although one Chelsea insider present at the meeting privately claimed earlier this week that it hadn't taken place.
Now, it is understood, Chelsea have amazingly changed tactics with one source close to the club suggesting they will not deny it ever happened.
The development is a potentially devastating one for Chelsea who were confident of escaping punishment over the claims.
The witness is quoted as saying: "I'm an Arsenal fan and was quite shocked to see such a well-known Gunners player in the company of the Chelsea management team."
Arsenal must now decide whether to ask the Premier League to conduct an official inquiry.
Cole, who is currently paid around £27,000 a week, is in talks with Arsenal about a new deal.
He is asking for around £70,000 a week but it is understood the two sides are miles apart with the Gunners offering only around £50,000 a week.
The most recent precedent of a Premier League punishment came last month when Aston Villa were officially reprimanded for making an illegal approach for Southampton's England striker James Beattie.
They were not docked points or fined because of "mitigating and exceptional circumstances".
The Cole case is far more serious as it is alleged a meeting with the player actually took place.
In the Beattie case, Villa manager David O'Leary sparked the row by claiming on the club's official website that a Southampton player "definitely" wanted to join them.
Beattie eventually went to Everton for £6 million but that did not stop the Premier League taking action over Southampton's claims.
