Now it's £17m for Duff

Chelsea raised their bid to £17million for Blackburn winger Damien Duff last night as West Ham's Glen Johnson was enrolled as the first comrade in the Russian Revolution.

Billionaire Roman Abramovich, who looks likely to capture Southampton's Wayne Bridge for £7m today, made his fourth bid for Duff after a £16m offer was rejected on Monday.

The latest offer is tantalisingly close to triggering a release clause that Irishman Duff secured in the contract extension he signed at Ewood Park last summer.

That is believed to be the figure Chelsea have now offered, plus performance - related bonuses.

Blackburn chief executive John Williams is said to be discussing Chelsea's latest approach with his board and major shareholders to decide whether Duff will be allowed to open negotiations.

He hinted that he is prepared to hold out for more when he declared: 'Chelsea have made a very substantial offer in the current climate, but it falls short of what we require.

'However, the issue is of great significance to the club and I am duty bound to discuss it, not only with my colleagues on the board but the club's major shareholders in Jersey.

'There is a lot of financial upside to selling which cannot be underestimated in the post-Jack Walker era. But we don't want to sell Duff. 'We know Chelsea can entice Damien with Champions League football, but we want him to stay and achieve that with us.' Rovers manager Graeme Souness echoed those sentiments when he said: 'We made our case plain that we'd like to keep Damien here because we entered a new contract withhim a year ago on improved terms.