Lomas has a lob on said:
it has to be that! i cant think of any other reason why they went public
I do not think so - I think it is more likely :
1/ They want to keep him
2/ They do not want him to be talking to us about the offer - because the money might sway him
and therefore the best thing to do is to bring out all the fans pressure on Mr Chelsea so that he becomes very aware of the reputational damage if he leaves - and then at least if they do lose him the Chelsea management can be clear it was down to him not them - I think it is clearly this