LAMPARD SIGNS FOR INTER ON EVE OF EUROPEAN FINAL
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FRANK LAMPARD will move to Inter Milan for £7million after tomorrow’s Champions League final.
Lampard has agreed a £28m four-year contract with the Italian side, after weeks of agonising following the death of his mother Pat. The news is a desperate blow to Chelsea manager Avram Grant on the eve of the most important game in the club’s history and is certain to damage dressing-room morale.
Lampard’s move to the San Siro could coincide with the arrival of his former mentor Jose Mourinho as coach. Current Inter boss Roberto Mancini is now favourite to succeed Grant as the new Chelsea manager, in what would be a sensational series of events over the next few weeks. The Lampard negotiations took place directly between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Inter president Massimo Moratti during the last seven days.
Abramovich has decided to cash in on Lampard, who has only one year of his contract to run and has been refusing to sign a new deal. Abramovich does have Mancini high on his list of targets as a new manager but the Italian, who won his third successive Serie A title on Sunday, still has three years remaining on his deal, at about £5m a year.
Grant is set to be offered the opportunity to switch back to the role of director of football he had when he first came to the club last year. Lampard, 29, has refused to sign the £125,000-a-week contract Chelsea have presented him with this season and it looked as though he was certain to quit the club this summer.
After the death of his mother Pat last month, though, he had a change of heart and seemed set to stay.
But during the last few weeks, while Lampard and his family have grieved, the player has once again come round to the idea that he has one last big move in his career at his age – and still wants to play abroad.
A source close to Lampard told the Daily Express last night: “Before the death of his mum, Frank looked certain to go. But then things changed. He was thinking seriously of staying but it has never gone completely from his mind that he only has one big move left in his career – and he has always wanted to go abroad. “Also, he was not happy with the deal that Chelsea had offered him.”
Lampard remains in contact with Mourinho, speaking to him every week. The Portuguese has been in extensive talks with Moratti in the last few weeks and an agreement between the two is now close to being reached. And one of Mourinho’s demands to any of the clubs which have been interested in him was that Lampard was one of the first players he would be able to buy.
Lampard has played 247 Premier League games for Chelsea since his £11m move from West Ham in June 2001, scoring 71 goals. He has been a linchpin for the club ever since and, under Mourinho, was a key part of the team who won back-to-back league titles.
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and so begins the exodus....
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Who else could be going... It seems... Cudicini, Ben Haim, Pizarro, Sidwell... likely to... Then thre is Ferreira or Belletti... Bridge and Shevchenko if he can find another club who is willing to pay his $130k a week salary...
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Ah...sorry mates, rumour aint true.
Agent slams Lampard's Inter link
Frank Lampard's agent has rubbished reports the Chelsea midfielder has agreed to join Inter Milan after Wednesday's Champions League final.
Reports in Italy claim the England international, 29, is ready to quit Stamford Bridge this summer rather than extend his contract, which expires in 2009.
But agent Steve Kutner insisted there was "no truth" in the rumours, saying: "I don't know why Inter Milan would think this. Nobody has talked to me and I am good friends with the owner, Massimo Moratti.
"I took Paul Ince there, I took Patrick Vieira there - if there was something on, I am sure I would know.
"The situation is that Frank has got a massive match on Wednesday, after which he needs to spend time with his family, because he has not had a real opportunity to do that since his mother died.
"He needs to get away and sort out his personal life and when he has done that we will sit down and talk about his future in football.
"After that, we will talk to Chelsea and that is as far as we have got - there is nothing in the pipeline and I don't know why this has surfaced now."
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well if chelsea wants to change their playing style, the likes of lampard and drogba will be going.
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Originally posted by omgukilledkenny:
Ah...sorry mates, rumour aint true.
Agent slams Lampard's Inter link
Frank Lampard's agent has rubbished reports the Chelsea midfielder has agreed to join Inter Milan after Wednesday's Champions League final.
Reports in Italy claim the England international, 29, is ready to quit Stamford Bridge this summer rather than extend his contract, which expires in 2009.
But agent Steve Kutner insisted there was "no truth" in the rumours, saying: "I don't know why Inter Milan would think this. Nobody has talked to me and I am good friends with the owner, Massimo Moratti.
"I took Paul Ince there, I took Patrick Vieira there - if there was something on, I am sure I would know.
"The situation is that Frank has got a massive match on Wednesday, after which he needs to spend time with his family, because he has not had a real opportunity to do that since his mother died.
"He needs to get away and sort out his personal life and when he has done that we will sit down and talk about his future in football.
"After that, we will talk to Chelsea and that is as far as we have got - there is nothing in the pipeline and I don't know why this has surfaced now."
Don't bet on it yet... This came directly from Inter's president... What does the agent need to know when the 2 owners agree on it...
The Lampard negotiations took place directly between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Inter president Massimo Moratti during the last seven days.
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WHAT THA FUCKJ?
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what's your source zocoss??
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lampard go nevermind
if drogba goes, then gg
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chelsea is just like a big hotel..come and go after using it's facilities
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mind games again!!!!
anyway, lampard going off for so little money meh...i think hes worth at least double of it!
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emm don't think lamps will go.. same for terry and cech but for others i don't know liao
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Originally posted by Y_Shun:
mind games again!!!!
anyway, lampard going off for so little money meh...i think hes worth at least double of it!
blame it on that Belgian called Bosman.. he would be lucky to be worth 7million given that he is on the last year of his contract, probably arrived at that figure based on his salary or something along this line
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drogba should go. he is already showing signs of going downhill because of his age.
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not bad already la....at least chelsea won two back to back league titles in 2005 and 2006
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Originally posted by Saltiga:
blame it on that Belgian called Bosman.. he would be lucky to be worth 7million given that he is on the last year of his contract, probably arrived at that figure based on his salary or something along this line
u should thank Bosman for giving ur team Michael Ballack, Tal Ben Haim, Steve Sidwell, Claudio Pizarro, etc..
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giving my team? you gotta be kidding, i'm no Roman so how would those players be mine? does it all matters that which nick support which club? do we have to declare our support in here?
actually Bosman ruling doesn't just do the club who is buying the player good even the player themselves gets a bigger salary and bonus or a certain amount of sign on fee..
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It seems Lampard is considering accepting lesser than what he originally wanted to stay at Chelsea...
Lampard confident new Chelsea deal can be agreed in the summer
Frank Lampard is to open fresh talks with Chelsea over a new contract at the club after England's friendly internationals. Fabio Capello's side take on USA at Wembley and then travel to play Trinidad
& Tobago on June 1.
England midfielder Lampard revealed he will discuss a new deal to keep him at
Stamford Bridge on his return. Lampard's current contract expires next summer and talks over a long-term extension were put on hold for the duration of last season.
But following Chelsea's dramatic penalty shoot-out heartbreak against Manchester United in the Champions League final on Wednesday night, Lampard is
confident a deal can be agreed. "I have got to talk to the club," said Lampard. "My contract has obviously been the last thing on my mind in the last six weeks, but I will sit down and talk with them after the England games. -
i seriously doubt he will leave chelsea, at least not the premiership.
