Benitez in dark over Demba Ba

Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez insisted he knew nothing of reports suggesting Newcastle striker Demba Ba was set for talks with Blues officials.

Sky Sports sources understand Ba's representatives were due to meet with Chelsea on Sunday evening.

Ba, who has 13 goals already this season, has a £7million release clause in his contract which becomes active in January when the transfer window opens.

A host of clubs have been linked with a possible swoop for Ba, including Arsenal, Tottenham, QPR and French giants Paris Saint Germain.

Asked after Chelsea's 2-1 win over Everton if he knew anything about the reports, Benitez said: "No, because we don't talk about this business, we had a very important game today."

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