JOE COLE want to stay but Chelsea don't want him to stay

JOE COLE last night revealed contract talks with Chelsea have broken down.

He says he wants to stay but the club have withdrawn their offer of a new deal and put Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham on full alert.

Midfielder Cole, 28, will be available on a free transfer in the summer but he refuses to give up on his Chelsea career.

He said: "I've never spoken publicly about contracts before.

"I don't think contracts should really be discussed mid-season. I have always signed mine in the summer in the past.

"But this time it's different. We can't seem to find common ground and it's distracting. At the moment there is no offer on the table, so I know where I stand. I still hope to talk in the summer."

Cole's current deal expires on June 30 when he will be free to quit the Blues after seven years at Stamford Bridge.

No new talks are planned between the parties at present even though Cole is keen to stay.

Chelsea have been tightening the purse strings at the club for some time and Cole has been on the fringes of the team recently.

The bombshell development is at odds with boss Carlo Ancelotti, who said recently: "He will stay - of that I am 100 per cent certain."