News: Claudio Ranieri's future was engulfed in uncertainty once again last night after Alex Ferguson claimed Chelsea had tried to prise him away from Manchester United.

Roman Abramovich's advisers immediately sought to play down the Ferguson link but the revelation threatens to undermine Ranieri's position just as it seemed he had ridden out the storm surrounding the Russian's arrival and his clandestine meeting with Sven-Goran Eriksson that made it clear the billionaire might want a new manager to go with his new-look team.

Ranieri's side are unbeaten in their first three Premiership games and have qualified for the Champions League group stage but now there will inevitably be more questions about how long the Italian has at Stamford Bridge.

The revelation came just two days after Chelsea headhunted United's chief executive Peter Kenyon and mindful of the damage it could cause, Pini Zahavi, the agent who brokered Abramovich's £140 million takeover, denied the story, saying there had been no approach.

If Ferguson was sounded out, Zahavi would have been involved in some capacity, not least because of his close links with the United manager.

According to a report in the Manchester Evening News, Ferguson was approached shortly after Abramovich took over at Chelsea on July 1st. The United manager, it reported, rebuffed the move.

"I am manager of Manchester United and it would be something absolutely catastrophic for me to leave the club," he said.

"My whole life is Manchester United. When you become manager of this club you get woven into the fabric of the place."

If Ranieri hoped Chelsea would immediately quash the story, the Italian would have been sorely disappointed. Instead the London club declined to comment.

A multi-millionaire already, Ferguson hardly needs the money after 17 years at Old Trafford during which he became the most successful manager in the club's history.

In fact Kenyon's successor David Gill is to continue with plans to offer Ferguson a new contract. "I know Alex and we have worked together over the years but it would be wrong to say I have had the close working relationship with him that Peter had. That is something we will work on. He will get to know my style and I will get to know his and we'll work closely together.

"We are very pleased to have Alex as manager and we want it to continue. It is early days regarding the manager's contract. All I will say, as Peter had said and he was speaking on behalf of the board, we are positive about it and we won't get into a situation like last time. That will move ahead soon."

Privately, Chelsea are questioning Ferguson's motives in going public on such a sensitive issue.

The media-savvy Ferguson will have been acutely aware of the headlines it would produce and there are people, at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, who see it as a calculated attempt to undermine Chelsea.

Conscious that the London club now have the credentials to challenge United's dominance, Ferguson will also know Ranieri's job will be significantly harder if there is speculation about his future to add to all the other pressures surrounding his job. Yet, as an influential member of the League Managers' Association, it is surprising that Ferguson appears to have broken one of its unwritten rules - talking on or off the record about someone else's job.

The likely scenario is that Eriksson will replace Ranieri at the end of the European Championships or even by November if they fail to reach the finals.

The only achievement, indeed, that might save Ranieri is if he can win either the Premiership title or the Champions League. Eriksson, has made no secret of his desire to return to club management and there are few more exciting places to be than Chelsea right now.