AFP
London
Chelsea captain John Terry has been offered a new one-year deal, the English Premier League club said Friday.
The 35-year-old centre-half, who has spent his entire senior club career with the west London side, is out of contract at the end of the season. In January, Terry -- who has made more than 700 Chelsea appearances since his debut in October 1998 -- said he would not be extending his time at Stamford Bridge.
However, Chelsea countered that a new offer was possible. And on Friday a Chelsea spokesperson said: "(Director) Marina Granovskaia and (chairman) Bruce Buck met with John and his agent this week and offered him a one-year contract extension... With it coming so late in the season, this is a big decision for John and his family and it is something that they are now considering."
There had been speculation that last week's loss at Sunderland, where former England defender Terry was sent off, marked the end of his Blues' career as he is now banned from Sunday's final game of the season at home to Leicester City -- Chelsea's successors as Premier League champions. The timing of Chelsea's statement also appeared to reflect a desire on the part of club officials to avoid interim manager Guus Hiddink's final pre-match press conference on Friday being dominated by questions over Terry's future.
Antonio Conte will replace veteran Dutch boss Hiddink once his time in charge of Italy at the European Championship in France is finished.
"It's good to have big players in a club who are big personalities," Hiddink said. "I'm always in favour, generally, that players, ex-players -- I'm not talking about John now -- are having a lot of influence in the culture of the club.
"Maybe, I don't know when, in the future, it's also for John."
Terry first became involved in Chelsea's youth set-up as a 14-year-old and Hiddink added: "Twenty, 21 years at the club is huge. "That's why they become legends. You must cherish those legends for the future as well."
