LONDON - Bolton manager Gary Megson insisted on Wednesday that Chelsea will not land transfer target Nicolas Anelka on the cheap.
The Blues have had their initial £11million (14.7m euros) offer rejected and are unlikely to increase it by much more than £1million (1.3m euros).
Chelsea manager Avram Grant is hoping the deal will be completed by the weekend but defiant Megson claims Bolton should hold out for a better offer and are in no rush to sell the Frenchman.
Megson said: "If Nic goes it has to be for the right value. There are few Anelkas about and very few at the kind of money that they are talking about.
"Any deal has to suit three parties: the buying club, the selling club and the player but, from our point of view, what is unequivocal is that we all want Nic to stay.
"The situation has not moved on in terms of anything between the two clubs. Nic was in yesterday and we have spoken about it and agreed there is not a massive amount either he or I can do.
"It is between the two clubs and whether they can get an agreement. I am still hopeful that they cannot."
Anelka has made it clear to Bolton that he wants to join Chelsea and play in the Champions League once more.
But Wanderers want at least £15million for his services and Chelsea may look elsewhere if Bolton refuse to budge.
Anelka has three and a half years left to run on his contract and Bolton are hopeful that Chelsea's striking crisis may force them to increase their offer.
Chelsea face Tottenham at Stamford Bridge at the weekend with the possibility of Claudio Pizarro being their only fit senior striker again because Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are on international duty at the African Nations' Cup with Ivory Coast and Andriy Shevchenko is still injured.
Meanwhile, Everton captain Phil Neville has accused foreign players of bringing a dangerous brand of tackling to English football.
Neville was on the receiving end of a Mikel John Obi lunge during the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final which earned the Chelsea player a red card in the 55th minute.
Chelsea's 10 men eventually won the first leg tie 2-1 but Neville said: "I think he went for the ball. It was probably with his studs showing, but foreigners tend to tackle like that.
"I don't think it was with any malice, but you cannot do that. That is the type of tackle we want out of our game."
It is the second time in less than a month that Mikel has been involved in red card incidents at Stamford Bridge.
Against Liverpool in the quarter-final, he was the victim of a two-footed tackle from Peter Crouch.
The Liverpool and England striker felt the Nigerian had over-reacted though in a bid to get him sent off.
However, Grant and his players felt referee Peter Walton could have dished out red cards to some of Everton's players during their hard-fought victory.
Grant said: "If that was a red card (Mikel), Everton players on yellow cards made worse fouls and did not get second yellows."
Neville and Lee Carsley could have seen red but Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario insisted Mikel had nothing to apologise for.
He said: "He did not have to say anything to us. He didn't do anything wrong. He challenged to get the ball and did not go to hurt the player, just to play the ball.
"The referees are focusing more on this kind of challenge and we have to be aware of that."
