Chelsea: We don't want Rio

Chelsea today insisted again that they are not trying to sign Rio Ferdinand.

The Premiership leaders reiterated their position after reports emerged of a second restaurant rendezvous between club chief executive Peter Kenyon and the Manchester United defender.

Despite the club's denial, the Premier League are likely to come under fresh pressure to launch a new investigation into Chelsea's transfer conduct.

A spokesman for Chelsea said today: " Our position is completely unchanged. We have made it absolutely clear to Manchester United, on more than one occasion, that we have no interest in signing Rio Ferdinand and, regardless of where this chance encounter took place, there is absolutely no significance in Peter Kenyon seeing Rio. As already stated, their meeting was purely by chance in a very public place."

Despite receiving similar assurances from Chelsea and Kenyon last week, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called for the game's authorites to investigate an hour-long meeting between the pair at Chelsea restaurant Carpaccio 10 days ago.

The calls are certain to grow louder after it was revealed that Ferdinand met Kenyon and his agent Pini Zahavi for a second time later that night.

Pictures were published today by the Daily Mirror purporting to show Ferdinand at the Elysee Greek restaurant, off Tottenham Court Road.

Although Ferguson said yesterday that he is confident Ferdinand will sign a new deal at Old Trafford, the latest reports are certain to infuriate the United manager.