By Wayne Veysey
Chelsea are ready to offer Ashley Cole a new contract this summer that will keep him at Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career.
The defender has a year left on his current agreement and the club want to tie him to a new deal by the start of next season.
Chelsea will seek formal talks with Cole in the coming weeks, after the left-back demonstrated his value by ending the season in sensational form, capped with an outstanding performance in the club’s Champions League triumph.
Sources have told Goal.com that the London club are likely to offer the 31-year-old a fresh three-year deal that will lift him into the club’s top bracket of earners alongside John Terry, Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres. His current agreement is said to be worth around £120,000-a-week.
Barcelona are among the clubs monitoring Cole’s situation and waiting in the wings in case Chelsea do not secure an agreement with the player they controversially signed from Arsenal in 2006.
Despite the frequent scrutiny on his private life, there is no suggestion that Cole wants to leave London.
Currently on holiday in Los Angeles following Chelsea’s Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, Cole will link-up with the England squad next week to prepare for the home friendly against Belgium on June 2.
Chelsea will prioritise extending Cole’s agreement as they also prepare to sort out the futures of a string of first-teamers, including Michael Essien, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard, who are also out of contract in 2013.
As Goal.com revealed on Wednesday, the future of Salomon Kalou, who can leave on a free this summer, will be sorted in the next week. Furthermore, Jose Bosingwa is set to be released despite being the club’s regular right-back during a season that ended with two major trophies.
