Chelsea could move for Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor and Didier Drogba

Chelsea are considering a shock loan move for Emmanuel Adebayor this summer.

Jose Mourinho is keen on a second swoop for the Tottenham striker he took to Real Madrid from Manchester City four years ago.

Should he succeed again, Adebayor would be a back-up striker for the Premier League leaders behind Diego Costa and Loic Remy.

An approach from Chelsea, however, would leave Adebayor with a decision to make.

The 31-year-old, frozen out at Spurs, would be a squad player at Stamford Bridge. But West Ham retain an interest despite their failed move back in January and would be able to offer him regular first-team action.

Adebayor is under consideration for Mourinho because the one-year deal for 37-year-old Didier Drogba, who returned to the club last summer, expires at the end of this season.

It is not yet clear what the future holds for the Ivorian but Adebayor helped Mourinho’s Madrid to the Champions League semi-final in 2011 after arriving five months earlier as cover for the injured Gonzalo Higuain.

Tottenham want Adebayor out of White Hart Lane and offered him to a string of clubs during the January transfer window.

An attempt by West Ham to take him on loan, however, was vetoed by Daniel Levy because the Spurs chairman saw the east Londoners as potential rivals for the top four.

As a result, while other clubs were offered a deal in which the player’s £110,000-a-week wages were paid in part by Spurs, West Ham were told they would have to meet Adebayor’s salary in full.

Unable to do so, the east Londoners pulled the plug. To rub salt in the wound, Adebayor has since been frozen out at White Hart Lane, featuring in just one game - the 3-0 Premier League defeat at Manchester United two weeks ago - since the end of January.

But Adebayor remains in West Ham’s thinking as he is among a string of players set for the exit door as Spurs clear the decks for this summer.

Chelsea are also keen on QPR keeper Robert Green to replace no.2 Petr Cech who wants out this summer.