England [ Images ] winger Shaun Wright-Phillips cost Chelsea [ Images ] a "crazy" amount of money, the English champions' manager Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday.

Mourinho was asked why the 23-year-old Wright-Phillips was worth 21 million pounds ($37 million).

"Because the English market is crazy," Mourinho told a news conference on Wednesday.

Chelsea may be prepared to pay even more for Olympique Lyon [ Images ] midfielder Michael Essien [ Images ].

"Discussions are ongoing," Chelsea spokesman Simon Greenberg said.

The French champions have placed a 45 million euros ($54.32 million) price tag on the Ghana international's head.

Wright-Phillips, the step-son of former Arsenal [ Images ] and England striker Ian Wright, made his international debut 11 months ago and hopes playing for Chelsea will earn him a place in the squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany [ Images ].

He faces stiff competition for a place in the team, however. Chelsea have two outstanding wingers in Dutchman Arjen Robben [ Images ] and Ireland's Damien Duff [ Images ], as well as England's Joe Cole [ Images ].

Mourinho believes Wright-Phillips will be versatile.

"I think he can be more a pure winger than our other players are ... and he can play from the inside as well," Mourinho said.

Mourinho brushed off suggestions he might have a surplus of wingers, saying he was prompted to buy Wright-Phillips after a spate of injuries to Robben and Duff last season.

"I felt at some moments in the last season we didn't have a pure winger on the right side," Mourinho said.

Chelsea are touring the United States for pre-season matches against AC Milan [ Images ] in Boston and New York, and DC United in Washington.