Chelsea rejected bid won’t deter Barcelona

As we saw with the transfer of Theirry Henry, one thing about Barcelona is that they are persistent in signing a player they want. It appears their Premiership raid is not over as their new target is Frank Lampard.

Chelsea should start feeling the pressure now as the player has rejected numerous attempts at negotiating a new contract. Lampard insists his pay deal should be on par with that of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.

The first bid has been rejected at 12m pounds. Apparently Chelsea have told Barca that Lampard is not for sale at any price. Arsenal said the same thing.It was rumored that Juventus would make a move for Lampard but the idea was rejected.

Unfortunately for Chelsea, Lampard has the means should he want to go. Barcelona could easily underwrite his contract buyout and free himself for a switch. I’m sure Lampard does not want to make the switch but I am just as sure that he won’t sign a new contract unless there is pay parody.

Another thing to consider is how attractive the idea is of playing with Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and Xavi is next season.

Chelsea’s new tight strings approach could backfire in a big way if Lampard tires of the negotiation process. Chelsea officials plan a meeting with Lampard to discuss his contract situation during pre-season training next week. This means they take Barcelona’s approach seriously and are probably ready to give in.