CARLO ANCELOTTI will seek face-to-face talks with John Terry to find out whether he is still committed to the Chelsea cause as the Italian begins his work as the new manager this morning.
Terry has been the subject of sustained interest from Manchester City, and a bid of €29 million to €35 million from them last week was rejected out of hand. Chelsea released a strongly-worded statement which said that Terry was not for sale.
But senior figures at the club have wondered where City have got their encouragement from and, with Terry now back in the country after his summer holiday, they are surprised that their statement has not yet been endorsed by him.
The feeling that true intentions need to be brought out into the open is tempered by one which says Terry might have his price.
City are convinced that the player has had his head turned by the project at Eastlands, bankrolled by Abu Dhabi billions, and a revised offer of €47 million could seriously test Chelsea’s resolve.
Terry will be 29 in December and he has suffered from a back injury.
It is believed some at Chelsea are also uncomfortable with the level of influence Terry wields.
City are willing to make Terry, the Chelsea and England captain, the most highly paid player in world football, going so far as to double his €158,000-a-week wage. They first inquired about him in January, when they were prepared to sweeten any move for him with the Brazil striker Robinho. It is unclear whether Robinho could yet be used as a makeweight.
Terry, together with Chelsea’s other England internationals, is due to report back for training on Thursday, before the squad travel to the US for their close-season tour. He has yet to have contact with Ancelotti and the Italian’s views on Terry will be at the top of the agenda this morning when he is officially unveiled to the media at Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti also needs to know whether he can base his new regime around Terry, as a succession of his predecessors have.
Mark Hughes, the City manager, intends to do precisely that, having already signed Roque Santa Cruz for €20 million from Blackburn Rovers and Gareth Barry for €14 million from Aston Villa, while they are also close to a €30 million deal for Carlos Tevez, who has left Manchester United, and have offered a similar sum for Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are poised to complete the €21 million capture of Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow, after the left-winger flew into London last night.
He has been booked in for a medical and if, as expected, he passes it, he will become the first signing of the Ancelotti era.
Zhirkov, a Russia international, was personally recommended to Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich by Guus Hiddink, Ancelotti’s predecessor.
