Modric tells Tottenham: I want to join Chelsea

Croatian shocks Spurs and snubs both Manchester clubs by revealing desire to go to Stamford Bridge

Luka Modric last night informed Tottenham Hotspur that he wants to leave the club and sign for London rivals Chelsea."It is normal for a player to dream about playing for a bigger club," he claimed.

Modric, 25, has taken the bold step of asking to be sold in a bid to force Tottenham to accept Chelsea's next bid for him, although he stopped short of putting in an official request for a transfer. Tottenham rejected Chelsea's opening bid of £22m for Modric this week, with the Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, describing it as "ridiculous".

However Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy appear now to have little option but to let the Croatian playmaker to leave, after the player went public with his wishes. Modric also firmly knocked back the advances of both Manchester City or Manchester United by stating his desire to remain in London

Modric said: "I want to leave Tottenham as friends. I have enjoyed my time there, but now it is right for me to look at another club. I have an arrangement with the chairman. When I signed my new contract, he said that, if another club came to sign me, they would consider the offer.

"Chelsea are a big club with an ambitious owner. They have great players and they have ambitions to fight for the title and win the Champions League. I want to stay in London. I am very happy here and so are my family. I like the city."

Tottenham had planned to offer Modric, who is understood to receive a comparatively modest wage of £40,000 a week, a pay rise in an attempt to deter Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs, who have both shown interest. Chelsea however are prepared to treble Modric's salary to around £120,000 a week, and are to increase the transfer bid to Tottenham to £30m, even though they have yet to appoint a new manager to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked on the final day of last season.

Modric last night said his desire to cross London was not motivated by money but by Chelsea's superior record in recent years of challenging for trophies and the chance to play again in the Champions League.

Modric said: 'This is not about money, it is about ambition. When I came to England, I was dreaming about winning titles. That is still the same. Tottenham are a big club, with good players and a good manager, but I want to fight for the championship. Spurs will always have a place in my heart. My experiences in the Champions League have left me with the desire for more."

"I don't want to have an argument with Tottenham. I need to talk with the chairman. I won't ask for a transfer, no. That would be disrespectful."

Chelsea, who hope to announce Guus Hiddink as their new manager next week, are also in talks with Anderlecht over a £20m move for 18-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku. The Anderlecht general manager, Herman van Holsbeeck, said: "There is still a long way to go in the negotiations. We are indeed negotiating with Chelsea, but there are other clubs we are talking to."

Sacking managers is all part of Chelsea 'strategy'

Chief executive defends revolving-door policy as club are on the brink of reaching deal with Hiddink

Chelsea, who are expected to announce the appointment of Guus Hiddink as their sixth manager in four years next week, have defended their revolving door policy, and claim there will be no change in the ruthless approach that saw Carlo Ancelotti sacked just 12 months after delivering the Premier League and FA Cup Double.

Chelsea are negotiating the release of Hiddink from his contract as manager of Turkey, and it is understood a deal has been reached barring a few legal formalities. The 64-year-old Dutchman will be taking charge for the second time, having won the FA Cup during a three-month stint in 2009 when he combined the role with his other job as coach of Russia.

Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari have also been sacked by Roman Abramovich since the summer of 2007, making the Chelsea post the most unstable job in English football.

Chief executive Ron Gourlay has defended the club's hire-and-fire policy while on a commercial trip to the Far East, saying the amount of trophies won in recent years backs up the decisions made.

Gourlay said: "Continuity is very important but so is performance and results. Our model may not be the model others agree with but, at the end of the day, we've taken the decisions we needed to take to develop Chelsea Football Club and we've won 10 major trophies in the last six years [including the Community Shield]."

Chelsea finished second last year in the League, and were eliminated by Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, in what was the worst season since Abramovich bought the club for £140m in 2003. Gourlay was widely criticised for sacking Ancelotti an hour after playing Everton at the end of the season, in a corridor at Goodison Park, but the chief executive said it was part of the club's "strategy".

He said: "Unfortunately, we just left ourselves at the end with too much to do. The expectation was so high after winning the Double [in 2010], our most successful year, so it was a disappointing season but we must not change our strategy."

Chelsea hope to confirm the appointment of Hiddink next week, and will continue their pursuit of transfer targets Luka Modric of Tottenham Hotspur, Neymar of Santos, and Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea's £22m bid for Modric was this week turned down by Spurs, who insist the playmaker is not for sale. Chelsea, however, will return with an improved offer, expected to be around £25m, in the next seven days.

The club will also make another offer for the Brazilian teenager Neymar, who they bid £30m for 12 months ago. Chelsea would like to tie up a deal for the highly regarded 19-year-old before the Copa America starts on 1 July, but face competition from Real Madrid.

Reports from France yesterday claimed Chelsea have offered their former midfielder Claude Makelele a job as an advisor on player recruitment.

Rodriguez cries out for Argentina return

Liverpool winger Maxi Rodriguez could be on his way back to Argentina after admitting he has always wanted to return to his boyhood club, Newell's Old Boys.

The 30-year-old came up through the youth set-up to play three first-team seasons for the Rosario-based side before moving to Espanyol in Spain in 2002.

"When I left here, I knew I was coming back," Rodriguez told the Argentine newspaper La Capital. "The president [William Lorenzo] called me and I said 'yes'. Now it depends on the contract I have in Liverpool, maybe that can be loosened a little."

Despite a successful end to the campaign with Liverpool, scoring two hat-tricks as he hit seven goals in three matches, Rodriguez is likely to be only a fringe player next season.

With manager Kenny Dalglish looking to freshen up his squad and bring in younger players, Rodriguez's age is likely to count against him – and, as he is one of the higher earners, the club's owners Fenway Sports Group would prefer to get better value for money from new signings. However, the player would have to take a significant drop in salary in order to return to his homeland.

Meanwhile, the Sunderland chairman, Niall Quinn, yesterday moved to dismiss speculation that striker Asamoah Gyan has been offered for sale. Reacted swiftly to claims that the 25-year-old Ghana international's name has been circulated to prospective purchasers, Quinn said: "The suggestion that we have spoken to an agent to sell this player on our behalf is embarrassing to all concerned.

"I hope our fans would be smart enough to realise that this is probably some other club or outside agent's way of attempting to destabilise our relationship with one of our players."

Birmingham's Craig Gardner says he is unsure where his future lies after the departure of manager Alex McLeish. The midfielder, a lifelong City fan and their top scorer with 10 goals in his first full season at St Andrew's after a £3m move from Aston Villa, is now being linked with a £5m move to Sunderland.

When asked if he was leaving or staying at City, Gardner said: "I don't know. It's a difficult one. I'm unsure exactly what is happening behind the scenes and what the board are thinking. At the end of the day, like every player, you have to think of your career. Everything is up in the air at the moment."

Inter Milan may replace manager Leonardo

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has revealed coach Leonardo could leave the club this summer

Leonardo has been linked with the sporting director role at Paris Saint Germain, with Gazzetta dello Sport today claiming the Brazilian held talks in Doha with executives from Qatar Sports Investments, which owns a 70% share of the French club.

Moratti initially denied the rumours, but has now made a U-turn and confirmed Leonardo could be on his way out after just six months in charge.

"Leonardo has coached with so much willingness and passion," Moratti said on the club's official website, www.inter.it. "But it's certainly not his ambition for the future.

"It best thing is that he follows his aim and that we look for a new coach.

"It could be that Leonardo changes his mind and so will we."

Moratti only yesterday denied reports that Inter had approached Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa as a possible candidate to succeed Leonardo in the Nerazzurri hotseat.

But he has now confirmed the club has been in touch with the former Argentina boss.

Moratti added: "I believe there has been a first contact with Bielsa, but not from me."

Leonardo, who replaced sacked Rafael Benitez at the helm in December, led Inter to a runner-up finish in Serie A and the Coppa Italia title.

Cristiano Ronaldo wants long-term Real Madrid stay

Cristiano Ronaldo claims he would stay at Real Madrid for another 10 years if the opportunity arose.

The Portugal international scored an incredible 53 goals for Madrid in all competitions last season but Jose Mourinho's men only ended up with the Copa del Rey crown.

As good as Madrid were, they still found themselves playing second fiddle to Barcelona, who won both the Primera Division and Champions League - in which they beat Madrid in the semi-finals.

Ronaldo has recently been linked with a move to Manchester City, a club backed by wealthy Middle Eastern owners, but the former Manchester United man insists he has no immediate plans to return to the Barclays Premier League.

"I can't see myself leaving Madrid," he told the Cadena COPE radio station.
"I'm very happy here, it has been phenomenal."

Ronaldo, who was reported to have been offered £400,000 a week to join City, says money is not a deciding factor in his future.

"If I was after just money I could have doubled what I have in my account," he said.
"But for me the most important thing is how people treat you. If the (Madrid) president (Florentino Perez) told me to sign on for 10 years today, I would do it - although I don't know what will happen tomorrow."

Arsenal future in hands of Arsene Wenger says Cesc Fabregas

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas said today he was happy at the Premier League club and no decision had been made about a possible move.

"I am an Arsenal player. I have been very happy for eight years and I am very happy," Fabregas said at a promotional event, when asked about the prospect of a return to Barcelona.

"I am not thinking about football right now, just about my holidays," the 24-year-old Spain midfielder said, adding that questions about his future should be directed to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, to whom he had not spoken for six weeks.

"There have been no decisions. The truth is that it doesn't always depend on the player and at the moment I don't know anything," he added.

"I am very happy where I am. Anything else would be speculation that is untrue. You can never say never in this life as so many things happen that you can never predict."

Fabregas and Wenger have a close relationship

Spanish media have reported that European champions Barca would have to pay around 40 million euros ($57.5 million) to secure Fabregas's services for next season.

The player, who moved from Barcelona to London in 2003 at the age of 16, is seen as a natural replacement for playmaker Xavi, who turned 31 in January.

Fabregas admitted he was frustrated at Arsenal's repeated failure to win a trophy but said he believed the club had the resources to end their barren run.

"A player who is not frustrated at not winning titles is either lying to himself or lacks ambition," he said.

"There is a good team and a good manager and one of the most faithful fan bases in Europe. With those I believe we can make progress and one day win an important trophy."

Any decision on his future would be taken by Wenger, Fabregas added.

"He is the boss, the one who makes the decisions. You should ask him. I was injured at the end of the season and I haven't seen him for about six weeks."

Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez wants return to Argentina

Liverpool winger Maxi Rodriguez could be on his way back to Argentina after admitting he has always wanted to return to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys.

The 30-year-old came through the youth set-up to play three first-team seasons for the Rosario-based side before moving to Espanyol in 2002.

"When I left here, I knew I was coming back," Rodriguez told Argentinian newspaper La Capital.

"The president (William Lorenzo) called me and I said yes. Now it depends on the contract I have in Liverpool, maybe that can be loosened a little."

Despite a successful end to the campaign with Liverpool, scoring two hat-tricks as he hit seven goals in three matches, Rodriguez is likely to be only a fringe player next season.

As manager Kenny Dalglish looks to freshen up his squad and bring in younger players Rodriguez's age is likely to count against him and, as one of the club's higher earners, owners Fenway Sports Group would prefer to get better value for money from new signings.

However, the player would have to take a significant drop in salary in order to return to his homeland.

Guus Hiddink will not quit Turkey for Chelsea says agent

Guus Hiddink's agent today insisted the Dutchman would not quit as Turkey manager to take over at Chelsea, despite the resignation of the man who appointed him.

But Cees van Nieuwenhuizen admitted he was unable to say for certain whether Hiddink would snub the Blues if they reached an agreement with the Turkish Football Federation to release him from his contract.

Yesterday saw TFF president Mahmut Ozgener announce he would not stand for another term in office, a decision which fuelled speculation over Hiddink's position.

Ozgener has been a staunch ally of the 64-year-old but the former's impending departure will diminish any say he has if Chelsea decide to test the TFF's resolve to keep Hiddink.

Hiddink is renowned for not breaking contracts but Van Nieuwenhuizen was uncertain whether his client would consider being bought out of the final year of it as the same as a breach.

"I really have no idea," Van Nieuwenhuizen told Press Association Sport, insisting Ozgener's announcement had "not had any effect" on Hiddink's own position.

He added: "The contract is with the Turkish Football Federation and not the individual president."

Asked if Hiddink was concerned or upset about Ozgener's departure, Van Nieuwenhuizen said: "Guus is somebody who can accept the facts of life."

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay yesterday refused to comment on reports Hiddink is the club's number one target as he visited Hong Kong ahead of their pre-season tour of Asia.

He did reveal, however, that he hoped to make an appointment within the next fortnight.

Van Nieuwenhuizen maintained today there had been no formal contact between Hiddink - who is also currently in Asia - and the Blues over the vacancy.

Neymar: 'It's time to move on'

Managerless Chelsea are continuing their pursuit of Brazilian striker Neymar, who yesterday gave the Premier League club further encouragement by writing on his Twitter site: "Sometimes you know it's time to move on." The 19-year-old Santos player had earlier said he was happy to stay in Brazil for another season. However, yesterday's Tweet opens the door for Chelsea, who are willing to pay £32m for his services.

City are the favourites to sign Sanchez, say Udinese

The Italian side Udinese last night claimed Manchester City were leading the race to sign their Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez, though insisted that a concrete offer matching their £35m valuation has not yet been forthcoming.

The comments by the club's owner, Giampaolo Pozzo, a legendary wheeler-dealer, sound like an attempt to whip up an auction now that the 22-year-old's mooted move to Barcelona has not taken place and the Serie A side may well delay a decision until the conclusion of their Champions League play-off tie. Sanchez is undoubtedly the player City wanted to make their early-summer signing, though, and in confirming their interest, Pozzo did not suggest there would be the reported competition from Manchester United or Chelsea.

"The right offer has not yet arrived," he said. "Alexis is a player everybody wants, but he is also a player with a specific price. It is not easy for anyone to buy him. And if he and his agent [Fernando Felicevich] are intelligent people they will know that, firstly, we cannot give him away and, secondly, if people are not prepared to give him the right consideration, it is better to stay in Udinese than to risk getting burnt out or seeing his reputation suffer.

"[Internazionale, Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester City] are all interested but concrete offers, for his real value [£35m], have not arrived. I think it is 50-50 that he will stay here, but if he does go I would say that the [likelihood] is to City, because English football is the richest and knows how to evaluate its talent. Inter? There has only been a request to talk, but we have not spoken in any definitive form. These things are not done until the last minute, though."

Manchester United complete deal for £16.5m Phil Jones

Blackburn have stepped aside to allow Phil Jones to "follow his dream" of joining Manchester United.

Although Rovers have claimed Jones' switch to Old Trafford could eventually break their transfer record, United have not gone beyond the initial £16.5million offer that triggered a buy-out clause in the teenager's contract last week.

Even as Blackburn owners Venky's were refusing to sanction the deal when it was first put together last Wednesday and were fielding renewed interest from Liverpool over the weekend, Sir Alex Ferguson was secure in the knowledge Jones was not interested in going anywhere else.

So, once Jones' contribution to England's draw with Spain in their opening European Under-21 Championship group game was out of the way last night, further contact with Blackburn was made to assure the club any attempt at prolonging the transfer was futile.

Jones will formally sign a five-year contract once he returns from Denmark.

"Much as we would love him to stay on with us - and we made all efforts to convince him to stay - Phil has to finally follow his heart," said a statement on behalf of the Rovers' owners, directors and manager, released on http://www.rovers.co.uk/.

Blackburn boss Steve Kean confirmed those efforts included offering to make Jones the highest-paid player in the club's history.

"The offer we made he was staggering for a 19-year-old, but it wasn't the money," Kean told Sky Sports News. "Phil wants to play Champions League football now and we're not at that level.

"I'm sure we will be in the coming years, and we gave it a real good try and made him a fantastic offer, but I understand why he wants to go now. He goes with our blessing and it's an opportunity for us to invest in other young players across other areas of the pitch.

"We were hoping he was going to be captain of our club and captain of England, he's a fantastic prospect and I'm sure he'll be an England regular very soon."

It represents a smart piece of business for Ferguson, who knew the 19-year-old was also coveted by Arsenal, and secures another important piece in a developing United team that now contains four of England's starting line-up last night.

In addition, the Old Trafford chief is hoping to complete the signing of Spain goalkeeper David De Gea, who produced an excellent performance in Herning.

However, Ferguson is not focusing purely on youth as he looks to rebuild in the wake of his club's chastening Champions League final defeat to Barcelona last month.

It is widely assumed Ashley Young's much-discussed switch from Aston Villa will be completed once the Midlands outfit have sorted out their managerial situation.

Ferguson is also trying to secure a replacement for recently retired playmaker Paul Scholes, although apparently it will not be Mesut Ozil, the Germany star whom United were interested in before he left Werder Bremen for Real Madrid last August.

"We thank Manchester United for their interest but Ozil is fine in Madrid and has no intention of leaving," said the midfielder's agent Reza Fazeli.

With Wesley Sneijder giving out mixed messages over a potential departure from Inter Milan and Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp repeatedly stating he has no interest in offloading Luka Modric, finding someone to step into Scholes' shoes is not going to be easy.

"That is up to the manager," laughed Scholes.

"You only have to look at the youth team and what they have done this year to see there is a lot of talent at this club. There are some great players.

"But the ones we have been linked with are great as well."

Although he will be part of Ferguson's coaching team at the start of pre-season, with his precise role yet to be determined, Scholes will have no input in the discussions over his replacement.

Instead, he will be like any other fan, sitting back and waiting to find out which star name will eventually arrive, knowing his first appearance on English soil could well come in Scholes' testimonial game against New York Cosmos on August 5.

"It is a great time of year," said the 36-year-old.

"Even when I was a player you see all these top players around the world that you're linked with, and you are excited about maybe playing with them.

"Now I am just like my son, hoping we buy the best players in the world and that they make us even stronger for next year."

Meanwhile, one of Ferguson's more bizarre recent captures, Bebe, is in talks with Turkish club Besiktas about a loan move.

Ferguson broke the habit of a lifetime buy snapping Bebe up despite never actually seeing him play.

The transfer has not really worked out, with the 20-year-old making only seven appearances, scoring two goals.

TOUCHLINES

CHELSEA have stepped up their efforts to sign Brazilian prodigy Neymar by offering Santos around £ 30m (RM 150m) for the striker.

THE Blues want to keep striker Daniel Sturidge at Stamford Bridge and have put a £20m (RM100m) valuation on the 21-years-old in an attempt to deter possible suitors.

MANCHESTER CITY have slapped a £4m (RM16m) price tag on 31-years-old striker Craig Bellamy, who cost the club £15m (RM75m) and has two years left on his contract.

EVERTON boss David Moyes fears he could lose playmaker Mikel Arteta, with Spanish side Valencia thought to be eyeing the 29-years-old.

FULHAM striker Andrew Johnson has emerged as a transfer target for newly promoted QPR, with the Loftus Road club set to bid £3m (RM15m) for his services.

BIRMINGHAM centerback Roger johnson’s agent says the player has been put up for sale by the club after their relegation from the Premier League.

BLACKPOOL boss Ian Holloway will hold talks this week with former Manchester's United winger Bojan Djordjic, who was once tripped as Ryan Giggs’s successor at Old Trafford.

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger is confident he can retain the services of 23-year-old midfielder Samir Nasri but in less certain he can keep 24-year-old Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates.

MANCHESTER CITY defender Kolo Toure could still be ruled out for all of next season because of his failed drugs test, with sporting watchdogs to study whether the FA were too soft with the six month ban given to him.

ENGLAND Under-21 defender Michael Mancienne says he is confident his decision to quit Chelsea for Hamburg will make him a better player.

LIVERPOOL boos Kenny Dalglish has called for the Premier League season to kick off on Sunday so that players do not have two game is less than 72 hours at the start of a           10-month season.

MEANWHILE, the Anfield club’s American owners have told Dalglish that he can carry on spending as Liverpool look to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

DUTCH legend Frank Rijkaard, 48 would say yes to Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner should the American offer him the vacant manager’s job at Villa Park.

CONTROVERSIAL Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has been fined and had points put on his driving licence after being caught speeding in Italy.

MEANWHILE, former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo would demand £400,000 (RM2m) a week to join Manchester City, altought officials deny any interest in the Real Madrid star.

Luis Suarez says Liverpool can be title contenders

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez believes the club have a chance of being title contenders if the form of the final five months of the campaign can be reproduced over a whole season.

The Reds claimed 34 points from 18 Barclays Premier League matches after Kenny Dalglish replaced Roy Hodgson as manager in early January.

If that points-to-games ratio had been produced from the beginning of the season Liverpool would have finished with the same tally (71) as second-placed Chelsea.

"I think the form we showed over the second half of the season bodes well," Suarez - a £22.8million January signing from Ajax - told LFC Weekly.

"We've been playing well and I think we've been getting into the type of form that we know we'll have to keep up for a whole season if we want to be title contenders.

"This is something we're optimistic about for next season and if we can hit the ground running and maintain the good form then I think we've got a good chance of doing well."

Suarez believes Liverpool can challenge at the top

However, despite growing optimism at Anfield, captain Steven Gerrard insists regaining their place in the top four must be the priority when the new season kicks off in August.

"I'd love nothing better than to lead the lads to some silverware next year but I don't want to raise expectation by saying that will definitely happen," said the England midfielder, who was a frustrated observer for the last three months of last season having undergone a groin operation in early March.

"It would be stupid of me to raise expectations any more than they are already.

"At the beginning of every season at Liverpool expectations rise, and now that Kenny is staying and with a few signings I'm sure it'll go through the roof.

"Getting in the Champions League will be the main aim. I think it is for all the clubs in the Premier League.

"For financial reasons it's so important but it's also the biggest competition for players individually at club level.

"We just need to continue what we've been doing during the last six months.

"Hopefully we'll add some more players to strengthen the squad and then we need to compete.

"We are good enough to beat anyone on our day, we just need to find the consistency to challenge for honours."

Manchester United land Phil Jones for £16.5m (again)

Manchester United have refused to allow Blackburn Rovers to drive up the price for centre-half Phil Jones and, despite a late attempt by Liverpool to capitalise on the chaos surrounding the player's transfer, confirmation of the £16.5m deal is expected imminently.

Liverpool tabled a £22m counter-bid for Jones on Saturday, after it emerged that Rovers' Indian owners, Venky's, were insisting that the £16m get-out clause written into the player's contract was merely a starting figure for negotiations. The Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, knew Jones' heart was set on Old Trafford and there appears to have been an element of mischief in Anfield's attempts to gazump United and thus potentially drive up the price.

The Indians were advised that the get-out clause allows Jones to move to any club which offers the stipulated sum and the original £16.5m sale of Jones was actually concluded on Saturday.

United's refusal to offer more than their original figure for Jones is, in part, based on the outcome of the High Court case which followed Christian Ziege's move from Middlesbrough to Liverpool in August 2000.

Although Middlesbrough argued that Glasgow Rangers and Chelsea had both offered £7.5m for Ziege, Justice Astill said that the German had no market value as a player because Middlesbrough had agreed to allow him the £5.5m release clause. The clause "effectively removed [Middlesbrough] from the picture. [The club] was left with no choice; a choice which it would otherwise have had under the terms of the standard contract," the court found.

Kenny Dalglish knew Phil Jones' heart was set on Old Trafford, so there may have been Anfield mischief

Blackburn's only recourse to compensation is based on United's knowledge of the £16m release clause – commercially confidential information which enabled them to bid at virtually the lowest price possible to trigger the sale of Jones. Rovers may negotiate a compromise with United, based on Jones' appearances and trophies United win with him, to avoid a drawn-out legal battle on this point. Middlesbrough pursued Liverpool through the courts on similar grounds, arguing that the buying club profited from confidential information to bid at Ziege's exact £5.5m release clause figure.

At the time, Middlesbrough alleged an illegal approach had been made to the player. The two sides settled out of court with the Premier League acting as a mediator.

Blackburn's case is complicated by the fact that it needed Venky's' football advisers to resolve the weekend's impasse by making the contractual situation clear to the Indians – namely, that the release clause had been inserted into Jones' contract when he agreed an extension to his terms in February.