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
clubs 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 Barcelonas renewed interest will
sharpen the focus on Lampards future before José Mourinhos 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, Chelseas 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?
