Source: Telegraph
Carlo Ancelotti plays European card to keep John Terry away from Manchester City
City have had two offers for the England defender rejected and remain interested in attempting to lure Chelsea's most influential player away from Stamford Bridge.
The ball, though, is now in Terry's court with a third bid – in the region of £35 million – likely to be lodged only if the 28 year-old indicates a desire to leave London.
Related ArticlesSport on televisionAncelotti's first job is to get Terry onsideReal target Ashley ColeCity followed a failed attempt, in January, with a second offer last week of around £30 million and while Chelsea value Terry at more than £40 million, they are determined to head off interest, with the defender key to Ancelotti's future plans, chiefly the assault on the Champions League.
Terry does not report for pre-season training until Thursday – all the England players were given extra time off following late season World Cup qualifiers – when Ancelotti will point out that City have no European football next season.
If Terry fails to give Ancelotti assurances that his future remains at his only club, then the Italian will want to see a transfer request, an unlikely scenario given the amount of money such a move would cost the player.
He could balance that out with wages in the region of £200,000 a week at Eastlands, but a player whose contract does not expire until 2012 may consider it the wrong time to be officially seeking a move.
It is not the way Ancelotti was hoping to begin life as successor to Guus Hiddink, though the new manager is close to adding new players to the squad.
Chelsea, who have signed City's out-of-contract striker Daniel Sturridge and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, are set to complete the £18 million capture of Yuri Zhirkov, the CSKA Moscow left-back and left-winger. Zhirkov flew into London last night to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms.
And Ancelotti is planning a move for Wesley Sneijder, the Real Madrid winger, after all but giving up on Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery. The Dutchman's tenure at the Bernabeu is under threat following the £80 million arrival of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.
