According to the Sun, Chinese Super League club, Shanghai Shenhua, are preparing a mega-transfer deal for Chelsea club captain John Terry, who has recently fallen down the pecking order under Antonio Conte this season.
Terry started off the season as a first team regular but after Chelsea’s switch to a 3-4-3, he has found it hard to break into the starting eleven with Cezar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz being preferred.
According to the English paper, the Far East team are preparing to bring the player to China this January, reportedly after instructions from his former Chelsea team-mate Gus Poyet, who took over as Shanghai Shenhua’s manager two weeks ago.
The 36-year-old former England captain is in all likelihood not going to be offered a new contract at Stamford Bridge and his current contract runs out at the end of this season.
Terry is still not thinking of retiring from his footballing career just yet, according to the report, and he has recently even begun to gain his coaching badges at a junior level and Blues boss Antonio Conte is prepared to offer him a junior coaching role at Chelsea with the view of keeping him at the club.
Also read: John Terry and Frank Lampard to be offered coaching roles by English FA
Conte is aware that the defender’s wealth of experience and popularity among fans is a huge asset to the club. However, the sheer amount of money offered will surely be tempting for Terry. The deal is reportedly worth £11.9m (after tax) and this for a player who is close to the end of his playing days is a rather tempting offer.
The Chinese Super League’s pre-season starts in January, one month before the start of the campaign which means that the Blues legend would only need to spend 8-9 months away from his home in London as the season then ends in October/November.
Terry has been an integral part of Chelsea since his debut on 28 October 1998 and has served the club for the last 18 years. He remains an enigmatic player who commands a lot of respect in the world of football, bar a few controversies, and has won numerous accolades and trophies with the London club throughout the years.
He started every game in the Premier League in 2014/15 season helping the Stamford Bridge outfit to their last major title and was possibly the best defender in the league that season.
This could be a last hurrah for the Chelsea captain, especially now that he must contemplate life after football, but whether he does decide to leave his boyhood club or not remains to be seen.
