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Chelsea's £17m David Luiz bid rejected by Benfica

Carlo Ancelotti admits Chelsea's slump took its toll © PA Photos

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Chelsea has reportedly had a £17 million bid for Benfica defender David Luiz rejected as Carlo Ancelotti looks to drag the Blues out of their winter form slump.

Benfica seems likely to price Chelsea out of the race to sign the 23-year-old centre back, who can also play on the left, meaning cashed up Manchester City could be a more likely destination. Ancelotti is rumoured to be looking at Bolton's Gary Cahill as an option closer to home.

Various injuries have left Chelsea short at the back at times this season and Ancelotti will have another makeshift central pairing against Aston Villa on Sunday with Branislav Ivanovic suspended and Alex injured. Ancelotti is eager to reinforce his defence having endured an alarming form slump which left him under pressure, although he claimed he is no rush to splash owner Roman Abramovich's cash having earned some respite with a 1-0 win over Bolton on Wednesday.

"We didn't speak about this but we have one month,'' he said. "(If) we need to have some players, I said a lot of times that we are able to do it.''

Ancelotti admits Chelsea's poor form has taken its toll on him, having finally ended their worst run of league results in 11 years. Ancelotti is well aware Abramovich's patience is not without limit, however, and admits he had felt the pressure.

"It was a hard period - that's normal,'' said the Italian, whose fourth-placed side will drop back out of the Champions League spots if Tottenham beat Fulham on Saturday. "It was a very difficult period. We have to keep going now. We have to maintain good focus on our training and on our games.''

Although a new face or two seem likely to arrive in January, Ancelotti admitted the key to Chelsea's season will be restoring the confident swagger that saw the domestic double winners race to an early lead in the topsy-turvy title race.

"We are not at our best, obviously - the best condition, the best confidence, or the best atmosphere,'' he said. "But I think we can improve - we have to improve.''

And Ancelotti is refusing to obsess over the form of Manchester United as he tries to figure out a way of hauling Chelsea back into the title race.

"We don't have to look at United,'' said the Chelsea boss, whose side are four points behind unbeaten leaders United having played a game more. "This is a very difficult championship because every game can have a difficulty. It's a Premier League with a lot of balance, so nothing is decided now.''

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