More on JT

The Sundays suggest that John Terry's talks with Roman Abramovich have resulted in his asking, not necessarily for a transfer, but for the right to speak to City, as Neil Ashton writes in The News of the World.

JOHN TERRY demanded the chance to speak to Manchester City during two hours of crisis talks with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich yesterday.

Terry stopped short of handing in an official transfer request but the central defender is determined to speak with City officials over the proposed move.

And Duncan Castles claims in The Sunday Times that Terry has already been in touch:

While Abramovich is ready to make Terry the best-paid player at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s owner will not go significantly beyond the £150,000-a-week salary granted to Frank Lampard last summer. For his part, Terry is understood to have requested permission to speak openly with City about their plans. Chelsea denied that was the case last night. There have already been significant under-the-table discussions and the England international has asked football dealmaker Chris Nathaniel to help negotiate with City.

As exciting as this is, it is not a final answer to the unknown which lies at the centre of this: whether John Terry is sufficiently dissatisfied at Chelsea, and sufficiently attracted by our offer, to force a move away from Stamford Bridge. Nothing he has done thus far has dispelled that notion, but nor has it been inconsistent with a player seeking to squeeze more money from his current club.