What next for John Terry? Six potential destinations as Chelsea confirm skipper will leave Stamford Bridge
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Chelsea have confirmed that skipper John Terry will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 36-year-old has not been a regular under Antonio Conte this season and the club today confirmed this season will be his last at Stamford Bridge.
Terry has been at the club for 22-year-old years and is a one-club man (baring a loan spell at Nottingham Forest), playing over 700 times for the west London side.
The man himself has said he will decide on his future in due course, so what are his options?
Here are six possible destinations for the former England skipper...
MLS
(Photo: Getty Images North America)
American sides continue up ageing Premier League talent and Terry could be the next to made the trip across the pond.
Bastian Schweinsteiger is the latest to make a mark, impressive for Chicago Fire following his move last month.
A trip across the pond would see him follow former England and Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole who joined New York City FC and LA Galaxy respectively.
Both those sides will be interested in Terry, who has previously expressed an interest in moving to the MLS at some point .
"I would love to finish my career at Chelsea and maybe there is a time when I look to go to play in America or whatever might be best for my family at the time," he told talkSPORT.
"Hopefully I have a couple of years left at least. I always thought I could get to age of 35 and still [be] playing and I am getting close to that now."
China
(Photo: Getty)
Meanwhile, Terry has already been offered one last big pay day in the Chinese Super League.
He was a huge hit in the Far Eastern nation when he went on a one-man ambassadorial tour of Guangzhou in the summer of 2015 .
And current Guangzhou boss Luis Scolari coached Terry during his short stint as Chelsea manager and had this to say about the defender: "For John Terry dying on the field would be glory. You would need to kill him and maybe even then he could still play."
It is understood the defender has had several offers from Chinese clubs in the past and he wouldn't be the first Chelsea player to head east with Nicolas Anelka, Dider Drogba having had a go over there recently before Ramires, Oscar and John Obi Mikel pitched up for big pay days.
Turkey
(Photo: REUTERS)
A number of Turkish sides have also shown their interest in signing Terry when he leaves Chelsea.
Super Lig giants Fenerbache have previously been keen , as have Antalyaspor, according to Turkish media.
They have former Blues striker Samuel Eto'o on their books at the moment.
Qatar
(Photo: Action Images via Reuters)
Any footballer worth their weight in their own wages considers a move to mega rich Qatar.
Terry was previously offered a chance to play there by ex- Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola , during his time at Al-Arabi.
That ship may have sailed following Zola's departure and a move to Birmingham City where Zola currently resides would appear unlikely.
But should Terry fancy heading east for one last payday, he would likely find suitors.
West Brom
(Photo: Clive RoseClive Rose/Getty Images)
Should Terry believe that he can mix it in the Premier League for another season, he could join Tony Pulis' collection of centre-backs at the Hawthorns.
The West Brom boss enquired over Terry's availability in January and admitted he would be interested in signing him.
"It (January's enquiry) was just finding out what the situation was and then it was whether we moved on it or we didn't," Pulis said last month.
"There was no approach made, it was just finding out what the situation was, and the situation was that John wanted to stay at Chelsea.
"I think he wanted to be there and stay there and be part of going out as a champion.
"If he becomes available in the summer we'll sit down then and have a little think about what we've got and what we haven't got and then we'll take it from there."
Move into coaching
(Photo: Chelsea FC via Getty)
Terry has made his managerial ambitions no secret in the past and he could opt to get a head start by focusing on working his way up the coaching ladder next summer.
Conventional wisdom would suggest two realistic routes into management for Terry.
He could opt to get his hands dirty in the lower leagues by taking on a club in League One or Two or he could look to emulate Steve Gerrard by taking up a position at the Chelsea academy.
Blues legend Marcel Desailly recently said the former England skipper look to come to an agreement with the Blues over making the transition into coaching and that would still be an option.