The Times claims that Chelsea and England captain John Terry is demanding a meeting with the Blues' owner, Roman Abramovich, to obtain assurances about the club’s future - the implication being that he has been unsettled by Manchester City's determined pursuit of his services.

Despite having been knocked back twice already by Chelsea after tabling bids for the central defender, City are still encouraged to believe that a deal could be reached with a £35 million offer for Terry. And they would love to seal that deal before Mark Hughes' squad fly out to South Africa on Wednesday as part of their pre-season preparations.

The Times suggests that Terry is worried Chelsea might be unable to attract a big-name signing to Stamford Bridge this summer, following several pursuits that ended with targets staying put or moving to other clubs instead.

No less pertinently, while Terry is rumoured to be seeking a weekly pay rise of around £20,000 to £150,000 a week, that is still well below what City are prepared to offer him.

Chelsea will be anxious to reassure the centre-back and secure his commitment to the club before their own pre-season tour to the United States kicks off on Thursday.

Although the 28-year-old negotiated the richest five-year contract in English football history two years ago, he has since seen team-mate Frank Lampard overtake him in the earnings league table.

Terry reportedly met new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti on Thursday for talks about the upcoming season, and also spoke to club director Eugene Tenenbaum, but no new contract offer has been made, and now the defender wants to see Abramovich.

Meanwhile the Daily Telegraph suggests that Terry is understandably interested in a potential move to Eastlands for what would be mind-boggling money, despite his iconic status at Stamford Bridge.

For their part, City are deadly serious in their pursuit of Terry, who will turn 29 later this year. His current deal with Chelsea has three years to run, but City are prepared to push his earnings up to around £200,000 a week - plus bonuses if the Citizens meet their competitive targets.

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