Ancelotti to seek assurances from Terry amid City interest
JOHN TERRY will be forced to prove his commitment to the Chelsea cause in a series of crisis talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The England captain has been the subject of sustained interest from big-spending Manchester City, who had bids of £25m and £30m rejected by the west London club last week.
But with an increased offer of around £35m planned for this week, City remain confident of getting their man, leaving bemused Blues chiefs demanding answers.
It is believed many are baffled as to where City are getting their encouragement from, especially with Terry remaining tight-lipped amid reports that his £135-a-week salary would be doubled with a move to Eastlands.
Ancelotti officially starts work as Chelsea boss today and will make securing Terry’s future his number one priority, even though the captain, along with the rest of Chelsea’s England contingent, aren’t due back for training until Thursday.
But while the club are standing their ground on not allowing Terry to join City, it is believed that some board members would be sorely tempted by any bid of around £35m for a player who has recently recovering from a back injury and who turns 29 in December.
The tops a busy first week at Stamford Bridge for Ancelotti as the Italian looks to finalise the £18m transfer of Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow today. Russian winger Zhirkov flew into London yesterday for a medical and to discuss personal terms.
If all goes to plan, Zhirkov will join fellow new boys Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, although Ancelotti is also on the trail of Dutch winger Wesley Sneijder, whose days at Real Madrid look numbered following the £80m signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.