Didier Drogba 'belongs' at Chelsea, says Jose Mourinho

Didier Drogba made 342 appearances for Chelsea

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Didier Drogba "belongs" at the club as he considers re-signing the striker.

The Ivorian, 36, won 10 trophies at Chelsea from 2004-2012 and is available on a free transfer from Galatasaray.

Mourinho said the club were thinking about a deal, but that the decision would be made "in a non-emotional way".

"If I bring him back, and the decision has to be made soon, it is because as a player he has qualities to make the team stronger," he said.

Drogba, who joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24m in July 2004, won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and a Champions League during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

He left the club in 2012 after scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

After a brief spell at Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, Drogba joined Galatasaray in January 2013 and scored five goals in 13 league games as the Turkish club won the title.

The following season, the striker netted 10 times in 32 games as Galatasaray reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League - where they lost to Chelsea - and finished as runners-up to Fenerbahce in the Turkish league.

The Ivory Coast international was voted Chelsea's greatest ever player in a poll of fans in 2012 and has spoken of his close ties to the Blues.

Mourinho said: "Because we know his heart is pushing him to where he feels he belongs, we are thinking about the possibility [of a deal]. We feel that Didier belongs to us."

However, Mourinho, who managed Drogba from 2004 to 2007, said any decision would be based on the player's ability, rather than his history with the club.

Drogba featured in all three of the Ivory Coast's games at the 2014 World Cup

The Portuguese said: "If you bring him back it is not because he is Didier or scored the most important goal in the history of Chelsea, or because I read I need an assistant, no.

"We want to win matches and win titles and Didier is one of the best strikers in Europe. He is still very adapted to the needs of the Premier League and we are thinking about it in a non-emotional way."

Mourinho also intimated that Drogba, who made one start and two substitute appearances during the Ivory Coast's three games at the 2014 World Cup, would be a squad player.

He would join Fernando Torres, new signing Diego Costa, as well as Romelu Lukaku and Victor Moses, who both spent last season out on loan, as striking options at Stamford Bridge.