£1m A MONTH! That's what Manchester City will offer John Terry in a final bid to land him

23 July 2009 08:49
Manchester City will make a sensational last-gasp bid to sign John Terry by offering the Chelsea captain £1million a month in wages. Chelsea are growing in confidence that they can strike a deal to keep their talismanic central defender, but Mark Hughes has been told by City's owners to land the England captain 'no matter what it costs'. They would even be prepared to pay £50m to prise him from Chelsea. Hughes will make his incredible offer in the next 48 hours. City believe Terry can be the cornerstone of their plans to compete with the world's biggest clubs and Hughes has been left in no doubt by owner Sheik Mansour and chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak that they will provide all the financial backing he needs to break the British transfer record for the second time in a year. Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich has held talks with Terry in a desperate bid to keep his skipper, who is expected to make a decision by the weekend. But City's owners have told Hughes to make a signing that will 'make the world sit up and take notice'. City have already had two bids of up to £32m rejected for a player who will be 29 in December. They are prepared to increase Terry's current £135,000-a-week deal to a staggering £250,000, which is in the same league as the £200,000 a week net that Cristiano Ronaldo will earn in his first year at Real Madrid. Terry, Chelsea's skipper, is believed to be tempted by the massive salary on offer. He is also known to be frustrated at the lack of big-name signings at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea say they will not be bounced into offering Terry an improved deal, but privately have reassured him that he will be put on the same salary as their highest earners, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack, on £140,000 a week. However, City can trump any such offer. Tension has been rising between the two clubs over the summer, with both now locked into a situation that would see them lose face if they fail to secure Terry's services for the future. Mansour has already handed Hughes £90m this summer to bring in Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz. They are close to completing a £14m deal for Arsenal's Kolo Toure and hope to sign Joleon Lescott from Everton for £25m. Mansour announced his arrival in the Premier League last August by signing Robinho in a £32.5m British record deal. Now ready and waiting with his billions, that record could soon be shattered.

Source: Daily_Mail