Didier Drogba’s future at Chelsea has been cast into further doubt after he was left behind from the club’s pre-season tour to Asia yesterday. Frank Lampard flew to Guangzhou with the bulk of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first-team squad, although Tal Ben-Haim, Claudio Pizarro and Juliano Belletti also remained in London to complete their expected transfers from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea insist that Drogba should not be categorised along with the three departing players and that he has stayed behind to have treatment on a long-term knee injury, although the Ivory Coast striker’s camp see the matter differently. Thierno Seydi, one of Drogba’s representatives, said last week that the issue of his future would be resolved in the next ten days and he remains interested in exploring a move to AC Milan or Barcelona.

Scolari has told the board that he wants to keep Drogba, despite his erratic performances last season, although the situation is complicated because the player is seeking an extended contract. Chelsea will not offer improved terms to a 30-year-old who has two years on his existing deal to run and was disciplined last season for demanding a transfer, leading to an uneasy stalemate.

Ben-Haim, Pizarro and Belletti have played their last games for Chelsea, having been told by Scolari that they do not figure in his plans, and all that remains is to negotiate their exit terms. Manchester City have offered £5 million for Ben-Haim, which would put Chelsea in the unusual position of making a profit from player trading, having signed the Israel defender on a free transfer last season. Pizarro is wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and Belletti is expected to complete a move to Benfica.

Lampard is expected to hold further talks with Scolari and Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, this week. The England midfield player is unhappy with the club’s offer of a four-year contract, but is not yet ready to jeopardise his relationship with the fans by issuing a formal transfer request.

Chelsea play Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, in southern China, on Wednesday, with Scolari eager to see his players in action. There are further matches in Asia against Chengdu Blades, in Macau, and a Malaysian Select XI, in Kuala Lumpur, before Chelsea compete in Moscow for the Railways Cup, which also features AC Milan, Seville and Lokomotiv Moscow.

“The players are not ready yet totally, but we are starting to build a new team and a new philosophy,” Scolari said. “This is just the beginning and I expect after these five games that I have a general idea about all the players and a system. It is not too different to how I prepared in Brazil, but the difference is that Chelsea gives the best conditions for the players and coaches to train hard.”