Frank Lampard Offered £1m a Month by Chinese Giants - Report

Lampard may be on his way to join former team mates Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in China, if rumours of a £250,000 per week deal are true. The Sun reports Shanghai Shenhua (for whom Drogba plays) and their rivals, Beijing Guoan, are both interested in the midfielder and will offer him a £1m a month package, after tax.

The 34 year old England international is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of this season and although the club's chief executive, Ron Gourlay, was reported to be ready to open talks with the player over a contract extension, Lampard insists no offer has been made.

The problem may lie in the fact the club's new policy states players over 30 are to be offered only a short-term contract. It is for this same reason left back and England team mate Ashley Cole has been unable to agree a new contract with the club. Cole's contract also expires next summer and the 31 year old is reluctant to accept a one-year deal. Like Lampard, Cole believes he has more to offer the club. Unfortunately for the Blues' old guard, and this includes centre back John Terry and maybe even goal keeper Petr Cech, the reigning European champions are in the middle of transitioning to a new generation of stars, led by the likes of Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard and Brazilian midfielder Oscar. Put simply, there may not be a place anymore at the Bridge, a regular place anyway, for Lampard and co.

Lampard has no shortage of admirers though, should he decide to call time on his Chelsea career, one way or the other. Apart from the Chinese clubs, there have been reports linking Lampard with a move to the US and Major League Soccer, with, sensationally, Los Angeles Galaxy. The move across the Atlantic would see Lampard re-unite with England team mate David Beckham, in what would, admittedly, be a publicist's dream transfer.

However, Lampard has repeatedly been quoted as professing his love for Chelsea and a desire to finish his career in London. That, coupled with other remarks admitting a realisation he was no longer an automatic and priority target for the club, would seem to suggest the veteran is willing to wait and prove himself at Stamford Bridge before thinking about a future elsewhere.