Frank Lampard hoping new Chelsea offer will boost his World Cup chances

Frank Lampard is hoping Chelsea will complete a dramatic U-turn by offering him a new deal following his Wembley heroics against Brazil. Lampard is ready to turn his back on a mega-money move abroad to keep his World Cup dream alive. And despite contract offers of £8million from LA Galaxy and one for £6m in China, he has stalled on signing a pre-contract with a foreign club because he wants to stay in England, with Chelsea now considering tabling a 12- month extension. Lampard’s camp insisted on Thursday that formal talks had NOT begun with the Blues. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is keen on taking him to Old Trafford when he becomes a free agent this summer. England midfielder Lampard, who won his 94th cap as a match- winning, goal-scoring sub against Brazil on Wednesday, was warned after the game by Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson that going to Major League Soccer with the Galaxy could jeopardise his international career and World Cup chances. Lampard says he can almost smell next year's World Cup finals now, and admits his England place will play a crucial role in deciding his next move. “First and foremost, I’ll seek my own advice, make my own decisions, but I’m very competitive and I’ve got a sniff of the World Cup," he said. “It’s only a sniff because it’s a year away and England aren’t even there, so I shouldn’t get carried away. “But I’ll keep performing to my best and whatever decisions I take, I’ll take with a view across the board to make myself happy, to try to play my best football I can. “I know how football is and from squad to squad it can change and when you get to the age of 34/35 in the summer, people do look upon things differently and fair enough. “It’s certainly a target for me and, yes, I will try to keep playing at a good enough level to get there. It’s a target. I won’t retire from England before that, put it that way. “I’m very understanding of where I’m at in my career but if I can continue playing for Chelsea and continue contributing for England, whether it’s starting or not and a valuable squad member, and when I play do my bit, then it is getting a bit nearer.” Former Chelsea full-back Graeme Le Saux added to the plot by claiming Lampard HAS been offered a new deal by the European champions - and it is the player who is weighing up his options. Le Saux told talkSPORT: “Chelsea have had quite a hard time in the press with everyone saying they are mad to let him go and should definitely offer him a new contract. “I’m convinced, though, that Chelsea have sat down with Frank’s people, as they did with Ashley Cole, and offered him a new deal. “Frank has a professional decision to make and that’s what we, in the media, and the fans forget - he’s got two or three years left playing. "Does he go further afield and earn vast amounts of money and secure his financial future, or does he look at a longer-term plan and think ‘Well, I will sacrifice some of the financial rewards to cement the final years of my career playing for a top class team’?”