Chelsea have initiated talks with their influential captain John Terry over a new contract that would keep him at the club beyond the summer.
The centre back’s contract runs out in the summer but, due to the inspirational form shown this season from Terry, it looks likely that he will be extending his stay in London for another season.
The Englishman’s stay at Chelsea looked to be coming to an end when injuries and a certain Rafael Benitez limited his time in and around the starting eleven.
However, the Telegraph today report that the Chelsea hierarchy are keen to keep their captain for at least another 12 months and have now opened talks over a new deal.
This revelation may have a lot to do with returning manager Jose Mourinho who is a keen admirer of Chelsea’s English ‘core’ and it was also reported earlier in the season that Mourinho would have more of a say in the futures of Chelsea’s 30+ year old players.
However, it is understood that the club are keen to continue with the policy of offering just 1 year extensions to those more veteran players.
In addition, the Telegraph claim that Terry would need to be open to a pay-cut to his salary in order to stay at Stamford Bridge, however the centre half has recently claimed that he wants to stay at Chelsea by any means possible.
It is rumoured that the player currently sits on a lucrative £150,000 per week deal that would need to be cut rather significantly in order for the fans to be seeing their legendary captain remain at the bridge beyond this season.
However, despite his basic salary planned to be cut, bonuses earned over the course of the season may mean Terry earns close, if not equal, to his current basic salary.
He is a prominent figure in a Chelsea side that have shot to the top of the Premier League table and it is the opinion of many a fan that Terry is playing some of the best football of his career; appearing in the majority of Chelsea’s games this season.
Two more English players considering life after Chelsea are Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, with the former looking likely to leave following a lack of appearances this season, and Lampard reportedly considering a new contract at the Blues as well as offers from abroad.
Chelsea are also apparently considering new deals for Cesar Azpilicueta and Terry’s defensive partner Gary Cahill as Mourinho looks to deflect any interest away from the Premier League’s best defence.
Finally, following persistent rumours of interest from the likes of PSG, there are reports that Chelsea are prepared to bump Eden Hazard’s salary up to near the £200,000 per week mark following the Belgian’s masterful form.
There is no doubt that Chelsea fans will want to see John Terry and Frank Lampard remain at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of their careers, while the development of Eden Hazard is also something the Blues fans will want to witness in the coming years.
