NEWS ROUND-UP:FRANK LAMPARD appears set to see out the remaining year of his contract at Chelsea after the London club and Internazionale, his primary suitors, suggested they did not envisage a transfer coming to fruition this summer despite the player being no nearer to agreeing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad arrived in China yesterday ahead of tomorrow's friendly against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical with the manager, the captain, John Terry, and the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, all insisting Lampard's immediate future lies at the Premier League club. The midfielder has yet to speak publicly on the issue having entered the final year of his contract with talks at an impasse. He is seeking a five-year deal but has been offered four.

Inter's manager, Jose Mourinho, conceded last night it would be "difficult" for his club to conclude a deal for Lampard before the end of next month. He suggested the 30-year-old may instead sign a pre-contract agreement with the Italian team in January. He said: "It seems to me difficult for him to be able to come here now. It's easier he comes next season."

Lampard trained with Chelsea at the Guangdong Olympic Stadium and Kenyon said: "It is an important statement that he is on tour with us and we have always said we want Frank to stay, and we are confident he will. Everything comes back to Frank at the moment . . . We accept he is a key member of the team."

Scolari's purchase of Deco last month seemed to threaten Lampard's position in the team but the Brazilian insisted yesterday he envisages the Englishman playing a key role. "I have spoken to Frank every day," he said. "We have spoken about how to win games with Chelsea and no more . . . The most important thing is he is here with us."

"I'm very good friends with Frank and we have spoken about it but the situation is ongoing with the club and Frank," added Terry.

Chelsea allowed Claude Makelele to join Paris St-Germain on a free yesterday and sold Khalid Boulahrouz to Stuttgart for about €5.1 million, but they continue to try to strengthen their own squad. Talks are ongoing with Real Madrid over the possibility of signing the Brazil international Robinho, though his availability is tied up in the Spanish club's pursuit of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Robinho has hinted he would be happy to remain in Madrid and will accept Real's decision to deny his participation in the Olympics but that stance could change if Ronaldo ends up at the Bernabeu.

Kenyon admitted, however, Milan's reluctance to sell Kaka will frustrate Chelsea's interest in their other major target. "It is well noted we have shown interest [ in Robinho]," he said. "We have had discussions with Madrid and they are ongoing. The window is still open. As for Kaka, there was no offer made."

The goalkeeper Petr Cech has signed a new five-year contract and there was an insistence from Scolari that Didier Drogba's absence from the tour was solely due to the knee injury rather than any doubt over his future. "The doctor and our medical staff put together a recuperation plan for him and he will be out for three weeks, maximum four weeks," he said. "Didier's future is at Chelsea because he has a contract with us."

The future of Emmanuel Adebayor remains uncertain after the forward refused to guarantee he would stay with Arsenal during discussions with Arsene Wenger yesterday. The Togo international did not ask for a transfer but having been told by Wenger Arsenal will not stretch their wage structure to keep him - he earns €43,853-a-week and is believed to want three times that to remain at the London club - Adebayor did not commit his future to the club.