Chelsea offers new deal to Lampard

The latest reports suggest that Chelsea have offered Frank Lampard a new £130,000 a week contract to prevent the England midfielder from leaving. This will make him the highest paid player in the club along with their captain, John Terry.

Lampard had been stalling on signing a new contract for the past two years, and he has only a year remaining in the current contract. He has been strongly linked with a move to Italian giants Inter Milan, should they sign former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. Inter has officially signed 'The Special One' and the rumours have hence strengthened.

Lampard had been instrumental for Chelsea this season scoring important goals and being the spearhead in attack. A source in Chelsea says : "Frank is tempted by the prospect of joining up with Jose again. They still have a really close relationship and Frank regards the period when he worked with Jose as the best time of his career."

Though it might be just the right time for Frank Lampard to move on, he was deeply touched by the support Chelsea gave him when his mother died recently. Some sources suggest that it could prove a factor in his decision over his future.

The Daily Express quotes a Chelsea source "It is a massive decision. Frank feels indebted to the club for the way they supported him after the death of his mother."

The future of Frank Lampard will certainly depend on one more factor - the new coach who comes in. Although Scolari and Rijkaard are the frontrunners for the job, Chelsea has not yet offered the job to anyone.