Mutu facing a damages claim

Adrian Mutu, already fighting to save his career after being sacked by Chelsea, is now facing a claim for compensation from the club over his lost transfer value.

Lawyers working for the club have been instructed to prepare a ground-breaking case against the player to try to recoup some of the £15.8million transfer fee Chelsea paid Parma in August 2003.

Chelsea estimate they have written off £12m in taking their decision to sack him for gross misconduct last week after he tested positive for cocaine in an out of competition test on 1 October.

The Romania striker faces a Football Association hearing this Thursday. If he receives a lengthy ban, between six months and two years, Chelsea are likely to drop any attempt to pursue the player for compensation.

But if the FA decide to give him a short ban and programme of rehabilitation, the club are concerned he could sign for a Premiership or European rival on a free transfer.

If that happens they will launch a damages claim against the player and bar him from signing for his new club in the hope of clawing back some of the lost funds. Yesterday Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon insisted there is no vendetta against Mutu.

"To suggest that there was no support and that we left him out to dry because we wanted to get rid of him is absolute rubbish," said Kenyon.

"Clearly within our contract the taking of performance-enhancing or social drugs is not allowed and we terminated his contract on the back of that for gross misconduct."