Now Cole's staying! England star on brink of signing £8m deal with Chelsea to snub PSG and Real Madrid
Roman Abramovich has offered an olive branch to hostile Chelsea fans by handing England defender Ashley Cole a new contract to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer.
Abramovich, shaken by demonstrations against interim manager Rafa Benitez and the decision to let Frank Lampard leave at the end of the season, has awarded Cole a one-year deal worth £8million with an option to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond that.
Snow more talk: Ashley Cole is set to sign a deal prolonging his Chelsea career
Cole, 32, will sign the contract this week and his decision to remain rather than accept the advances of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, will delight Chelsea fans, who feared the old guard was being dismantled by the Russian owner.
Cole has won every major trophy at Chelsea, including the Premier League and Champions League, after joining the club in controversial circumstances from Arsenal in 2006 under Jose Mourinho.
He has been courted by some of Europe's top clubs, who recognised that the left-back capped 99 times by his country would have been one of the best Bosmans of the summer.
Cole has said in the past he does not see himself playing on to his mid-thirties so this contract could see him end his career at Stamford Bridge.
Blue is his colour: Cole has been at Chelsea since his split from Arsenal in 2006
But his signing will give Chelsea a much-needed feelgood factor ahead of their Premier League clash with Arsenal at lunchtime today.
There has been widespread abuse aimed towards Benitez since he replaced Roberto Di Matteo earlier this season.
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