Lampard set for Stamford Bridge exit

After months of rumour mongering and contracted negotiations over a bigger deal, Inter Milan have finally announced that they have officially made a bid for Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.

It is believed that the Nerazzurri have already sent out a fax to the English clubs hierarchy outlining an initial offer of £6.5 million and paving the way for one of the biggest exits in Chelsea's recent history.

This was always going to be a likely outcome but for Blues fans today will be seen as milestone where yet another piece of Chelsea Pre-Abramovich is removed from the club. With the England man looking set to leave this Summer it will leave just John Terry and Carlo Cudicini as a duo already at the club before the 2003 take over.

It was reported as far back as late-April that Abramovich was ready to offer Lampard a staggering £150,000 a week to keep the playmaker at the club but even as Roman made this bold statement for many it still did not seem as though Lampard himself felt that his future lay in SW6.

He claimed that he would wait until the end of the season before opening up new contract talks – such was the pressure on the club at the time as they bid for both Premiership and European titles – but as both competitions slipped from their grasp primary talks were nowhere to be seen and the inevitable began to dawn.

A further twist came however just before the final stages of the season when Lampard's mother sadly past away. During this time the 30-year-old played a vital part in taking Chelsea to their first Champions League final and as both player and fans shared in an emotional evening at Stamford Bridge as the Blues knocked out Liverpool at the semi-final stage it seemed, for the first time that perhaps the bond between player and club was enough for him to stay.

A month and a half has passed since that time now and the raw emotions of that evening have faded, Jose Mourinho has joined Inter Milan as coach and Chelsea were foiled by Manchester United in Moscow. Both of these events must play a role in what seems to have become Lampard's decision to leave West London for Sunnier shores and who can blame him really, of course the fans love him at The Bridge but in today's footballing climate this so often is not the be all and end all for so many players. Lampard is not the first player to make such a decision under these circumstances and he most certainly will not be the last.

Other factors also play a part in the transfer, one of which being the amount of time left to run on his contract. Next season would be his last under his current deal which means that although the reported offer of £6.5 million is less than Chelsea would like to receive for the midfielder it is worth more than losing him on a free next July.

This will be a massive blow to the Blues who are yet to tie striker Didier Drogba to the cub for the foreseeable future and if both of their top scorers leave the club Chelsea's odds of recapturing the title will undoubtedly lengthen.

The club have also recently signed Deco from Barcelona for a similar amount, the transfer of Lampard would cover this outlay and also mean that their midfield does not become over-crowded for next season and with a suspected offer for Kaka also on the horizon, it may just be the perfect time for Chelsea's number eight to leave.

One thing is for sure however, if Lampard does head for Inter, his addition would certainly make them strong favourites in the betting to retain their crown next season and what is more - as sod law dictates – also make Chelsea and Inter a good bet to meet in the Champions league next season!

Written by John Ford - A Freelance Football Journalist