Chelsea, Premier League

Has Frank Lampard Agreed To Join Chinese Side Guizhou?

The Daily Mail is reporting that Frank Lampard will quit Chelsea in the January transfer window and join Chinese side Guizhou.

Lampard, who will be out of contract at Stamford Bridge next summer, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Major League Soccer next year, but it looks like he will be heading to China instead at Los Angeles.

Guizhou’s owner is reported to have told China Central Television that the midfielder has already agreed a deal.

If Lampard does go to China he would be following the path of former Chelsea stars Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba who play for Shanghai Shenhua.

Lampard has repeatedly said that he would prefer to stay at Chelsea, but Roman Abramovich has a new policy of only offering one-year deals to players who are over 30.

As a result, Lampard and Ashley Cole have been allowed to run down their contracts and can enter into talks with clubs when the transfer window opens on January 1.

Chelsea are undergoing a major transformation of their squad, as the stars that Jose Mourinho brought to the club are being allowed to leave. Gone are Anelka and Drogba, Essien is at Real Madrid, Lampard and Cole will leave next year and Roberto Di Matteo has told captain John Terry that he is no longer an automatic starter.