FRANK BREAKS THE BANK - CHELSEA COME UP WITH MEGA DEAL


Frank Lampard: Can't lose
Wednesday July 23,2008

By Tony Banks FRANK LAMPARD has been offered a record-breaking £39million, five-year-deal by Chelsea which will make him Britain’s highest-paid footballer.


The Daily Express understands that England midfielder Lampard, after weeks of wrangling, has finally been offered the deal he wants at about £150,000 a week and is poised to commit himself to Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career.


Chelsea hope the mega package will persuade Lampard, 30, his future lies with new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and will finally persuade him to reject the advances from Inter Milan and his former boss Jose Mourinho.


Although he has yet to put pen to paper, sources at the club are now confident he will do so – even though relations between Lampard and Chelsea had appeared to have completely broken down two weeks ago.


But fresh talks with chief executive Peter Kenyon took place last week, before the team flew to China for their pre-season tour, with the player in the party. Chelsea had previously tabled a take-it-or-leave it four-year deal worth about £140,000 a week and insisted that if Lampard did not sign they would hold him to the remaining year of his contract.

The club are desperate to keep hold of Frank
A Chelsea source


That angered Lampard, who was holding out for five years.


Two weeks ago the Daily Express revealed he had told close friends at the club he intended to sign a pre-contract with Inter Milan in January. Such a move would have enabled Lampard to reunite with Mourinho as a free agent next summer. The Italian champions have already had one firm bid of £7.95m for Lampard rejected by Chelsea.


But this record offer by his club means Lampard could now perform a remarkable U-turn.