Frank Lampard has played down claims that he is considering a move to Italian champions Internazionale, insisting that he will sit down and discuss a new contract with Chelsea after tomorrow's Champions League final.
Inter's president Massimo Moratti hinted that he had held talks about signing Lampard, but that the player's future might depend on how Chelsea fare in Moscow. Lampard, however, insisted at a press conference this afternoon that he was "very happy" at Chelsea.
"These have been the best days of my career," said Lampard. "My future will be sorted out in the summer, myself and the club have said we want to speak about my contract in the summer. Now is not the time to think about that."
Lampard is hoping to make it a "family double" after his uncle Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth. "I was at Wembley on Saturday to see Harry win it and it was a great day for the family," he said. "For what he has given to the game he deserves that. I'm sure he and all the Redknapp family will be supporting me tomorrow night."
Asked whether his penalty against Liverpool in the semi-final - in his first game back in the team following his mother's death - was a defining moment, Lampard said: "That was a big moment for me but tomorrow is the defining moment for the team. Some of our players have won the Champions League, a lot of us haven't. My defining moment will be if I can be among the team lifting the cup, that will top anything I did in the semi-final."
The Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, was unwilling to be drawn on what his future holds after the final. Asked whether he would walk away after the game, he said: "Why? We are here today 11 days after the league [finished]. If it was a normal season for Chelsea we would be on vacation. We are here because we are here for the most important game for clubs in the world, the Champions League final. You need to respect everyone at Chelsea and ask questions about the final, not about me."
Club captain John Terry is determined to emerge victorious from the "biggest game" of his career. The Blues have lost twice in the semi-finals - both times to Liverpool - in the previous three seasons, and tomorrow's game will be the first Champions League final in the club's history.
"Finally we're here on the big stage," Terry said. "Hopefully we've got a fully fit team. It is massive. When you see the trophy and the atmosphere that surrounds the game it's awesome. This is the biggest game I've been involved in in my career. Winning it would be the icing on the cake."
