Chelsea will begin preparations for their Premier League title defence next week by finalising a new contract for Nicolas Anelka.
The France forward has agreed the terms of a new three-year deal worth £100,000 a week that he will sign before meeting up with Raymond Domenech's World Cup squad.
Chelsea are keen to keep the bulk of their squad together and have made it their priority to agree new deals with players out of contract before turning attention to new signings.
Anelka has been a valuable member of Carlo Ancelotti's side this season, scoring 15 goals from a deep-lying position and leading the line in the absence of Didier Drogba, and his new contract means he is likely to end his career at the club he joined from Bolton Wanderers two years ago.
The representatives of Michael Ballack and Joe Cole will also be summoned to Stamford Bridge for talks, although their contract negotiations could prove more difficult.
Ballack is seeking a two-year deal that would enable the midfield player to carry on playing for Germany until the 2012 European Championship, but he has only been offered a one-year extension.
Chelsea are unwilling to meet Cole's pay demands. The England midfield player is seeking parity with players such as Anelka and Michael Essien, on £100,000 a week, but the club will offer him no more than £85,000.
Chelsea are also looking to offload several players to make room for new signings, with Deco, Juliano Belletti and Paulo Ferreira set to be released and Ricardo Carvalho to be made available for sale.
Ancelotti revealed yesterday that he will meet Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, next week to discuss the club's plans for strengthening the squad this summer.
"I didn't have the possibility to speak with Roman last week because we had a celebration after the game (at home to Wigan Athletic), but that wasn't the time to talk about next season," the manager said. "He was very happy but we will meet again next week and then we will talk about the season.
"One of the aims of this season, at the beginning, was to give identity to this team, to show good play, and Chelsea improved its identity.
"It was a good season because we played good football, we gave enjoyment to our fans and to other people. The way Chelsea played was good for everyone."
The France forward has agreed the terms of a new three-year deal worth £100,000 a week that he will sign before meeting up with Raymond Domenech's World Cup squad.
Chelsea are keen to keep the bulk of their squad together and have made it their priority to agree new deals with players out of contract before turning attention to new signings.
Anelka has been a valuable member of Carlo Ancelotti's side this season, scoring 15 goals from a deep-lying position and leading the line in the absence of Didier Drogba, and his new contract means he is likely to end his career at the club he joined from Bolton Wanderers two years ago.
The representatives of Michael Ballack and Joe Cole will also be summoned to Stamford Bridge for talks, although their contract negotiations could prove more difficult.
Ballack is seeking a two-year deal that would enable the midfield player to carry on playing for Germany until the 2012 European Championship, but he has only been offered a one-year extension.
Chelsea are unwilling to meet Cole's pay demands. The England midfield player is seeking parity with players such as Anelka and Michael Essien, on £100,000 a week, but the club will offer him no more than £85,000.
Chelsea are also looking to offload several players to make room for new signings, with Deco, Juliano Belletti and Paulo Ferreira set to be released and Ricardo Carvalho to be made available for sale.
Ancelotti revealed yesterday that he will meet Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, next week to discuss the club's plans for strengthening the squad this summer.
"I didn't have the possibility to speak with Roman last week because we had a celebration after the game (at home to Wigan Athletic), but that wasn't the time to talk about next season," the manager said. "He was very happy but we will meet again next week and then we will talk about the season.
"One of the aims of this season, at the beginning, was to give identity to this team, to show good play, and Chelsea improved its identity.
"It was a good season because we played good football, we gave enjoyment to our fans and to other people. The way Chelsea played was good for everyone."
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