Frank Lampard has told Chelsea that he wants his future resolved before reporting back for pre-season duty a week on Monday. The England midfield player, revealed by The Times yesterday as a target for Barcelona, has two years remaining on his contract, but with the option to buy himself out of the deal, he said yesterday that he finds it “strange” that the club have not sought to secure his services. Lampard is seeking parity with Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack as the top wage-earners at Stamford Bridge on £130,000 a week. Lampard earns £80,000 and, having reportedly rejected the club’s initial offer of £110,000, is frustrated that negotiations have been suspended for more than a month.
Steve Kutner, his agent, was in the background, clutching a video of how to learn Spanish, and Barcelona’s renewed interest will sharpen the focus on Lampard’s future before José Mourinho’s squad leaves on a pre-season tour to the United States.
With an attempt to pin down John Terry to a long-term deal also stalling, ChelseaÂ’s brinkmanship has left Lampard uncertain of his next turn, although he emphasised that his preference is to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona have signalled their intention to bounce back from losing their Spanish league crown by signing Thierry Henry from Arsenal for £16.2 million and would be willing to invest a similar fee on Lampard.
However, the 29-year-old expressed his disappointment that the issue had not been resolved. He is keen to put pen to paper on a new deal as soon as possible. “In an ideal world I would do [extend his contract],” he said. “In an ideal world I would have done it three weeks ago. But it is not an ideal world, is it?”