Frank Lampard’s Chelsea days seem numbered after reports claimed that the star England midfielder, unhappy with the salary offered, has rejected a new contract from the club.
This new development compounded crisis at Chelsea as the club is also likely to lose winger Arjen Robben, who seems heading towards Real Madrid.
In Lampard’s case, apparently the mid-fielder is miffed that the new contract offers him £110,000 a week, which is substantially higher than what he is getting (£70,000) but short of the £121,000, which his overseas teammates Andrei Shevchenko and Michael Ballack are getting.
Lampard himself did not clear the air and was non-committal when asked about his future. He said
They (Chelsea) don’t have to offer me anything so I’ll just carry on.
If rumours are to be believed, Lampard is joining either Barcelona or Juventus. Stories doing the rounds are that former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri, who now heads Juventus, is keen to sign Lampard.
If that happens, it would be a big loss for Chelsea because Lampard has been at his prolific best in the 2006-7 season, scoring 21 goals.
