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Frank Lampard in talks to join New York City FC
Frank Lampard and his representative have held talks with New York City over a prospective move to Major League Soccer’s new franchise next March, with the Chelsea midfielder to decide where he is to play his football next season over the next few weeks.
The 35-year-old will be England’s vice-captain at the World Cup in Brazil and on Sunday departed with Roy Hodgson’s squad for Miami, where the national team will play Ecuador and Honduras this week. Lampard’s deal at Stamford Bridge expires on 30 June and an offer, albeit on reduced basic terms, remains on the table to extend his 13-year Chelsea career by a further year.
Yet the deal proposed by New York City, who were set up and are backed by the Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour, would offer a longer-term package and, should he feature regularly, would reflect a similar wage package to that he enjoys at present. Lampard met the new club’s representatives in Manchester on Saturday for informal talks but has also been contacted by a number of suitors, in England and abroad, including one from City’s Australian sister club, Melbourne Heart. He will consider his options in the short-term but the chance to play in New York would appear to be the most attractive at present.
The club are hugely ambitious and are understood to have secured the Spain forward David Villa from Atlético Madrid for around £5m. The 32-year-old, formerly with Valencia and Barcelona, confirmed on Saturday that he would be leaving Vicente Calderón after receiving what he described as an “irresistible” offer, and was seen at Manchester’s Bridgewater hospital undergoing a medical.
Joining New York City would present Lampard, like Villa, with a immediate dilemma as their MLS campaign would not start until March 2015. Lampard may, therefore, seek a short-term deal at a Premier League club before a move across the Atlantic, and there is possibility that Chelsea could secure him for the first half of next season and, as a result, give their all-time record goalscorer a proper send-off after his illustrious career in south-west London. An alternative would be to join Harry Redknapp at newly promoted Queens Park Rangers on a similar half-season arrangement.
Lampard’s time at Stamford Bridge has yielded three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups, with the midfielder contributing a staggering 211 goals en route. The player turns 36 later this month, during the World Cup, but still had a significant role to play at Chelsea last term, making 40 appearances in all competitions and scoring eight goals.
