Chelsea drop Van Nistelrooy clue

Van Nistelrooy is in contract talks with Man Utd

Chelsea have hinted that they would pay £60m for Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy if he became available.

Chelsea's acting chief executive Paul Smith made the comments just days after failing in a formal bid for Arsenal's Thierry Henry.

"If Van Nistelrooy was priced at £60m and we considered it a good investment, then we would probably pay," he said.

But Smith said that a central defender and a midfielder were his priorities in the January transfer window.

Van Nistelrooy is in talks with Manchester United about extending his contract at Old Trafford.

Van Nistelrooy in Man Utd vow

And the 27-year-old, who has scored 96 goals in 124 games for the club, has suggested that he is ready to pledge the rest of his career to United.

But Chelsea may try to muscle in, by waving chairman Roman Abramovich's millions at the Dutchman.

A £60m fee would break the world transfer record of £46.5m paid by Real Madrid to Juventus for Zinedine Zidane.

And Van Nistelrooy could expect a big increase on his present £40,000-a-week salary, although Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is also set to offer him a pay rise.

Chelsea miss out on Henry

Chelsea failed in a £40-50m bid for France striker Henry.

And they seem poised to spend more cash when the transfer window re-opens on New Year's Day.

Roman is a businessman and is determined not to get ripped off - we won't pay the tourist price Paul Smith Acting Chelsea chief executive

However, Smith made it clear that the Blues will not be ripped off despite Abramovich's incredible financial resources.

"If Pele was on the market for £100m then we'd maybe go for him, but we won't pay £30m for Joe Nobody," he told the Evening Standard newspaper.

"If Van Nistelrooy was priced at £60m and we considered it a good investment, then we would probably pay that.

"We do care about the money and it's a misconception that we don't. There's not a finite budget but we want to get good value.

"Roman is a businessman and is determined not to get ripped off. We won't pay the tourist price."

I would personally love to see Ruud v Nistelrooy at Chelsea but then again why would Man Utd sell him? From Red Rom's Bruvva Have your say on 606

Smith confirmed that Chelsea would be looking to bolster an already-strong midfield.

"We're looking to strengthen as Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele are looking a bit tired," he said.

"If Emmanuel Petit and Juan Sebastian Veron were fit there wouldn't be a problem. We need to know when they'll be fit.

"We also like [defender] Roberto Ayala and had a look at him but unfortunately he's cup-tied after playing in the UEFA Cup.

"We want players who are available for our Champions League campaign."