I was never going to leave Chelsea, says Terry

England captain John Terry said yesterday he was fully committed to Chelsea and that leaving the London club was "never a possibility".

Terry had been a target for Manchester City, with English media speculating that they had offered him a salary of £200,000 ($330,600) per week after making a bid of around £30 million.

The 28-year-old centre-back and club captain remained silent on the issue despite City manager Mark Hughes regularly confirming his interest and British newspapers ramping up the speculation.

He finally made a statement on the club's website (www.chelseafc.co.uk) yesterday saying: "There has been a lot of speculation recently about my future and I want to clear this up once and for all.

"I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been.

"Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer.

"When you are linked with any club, or with a manager who I have huge respect for, it will always make headlines but me leaving Chelsea was never a possibility.

"I know there has been comment that I should have made a statement earlier. However, throughout this period there have been numerous discussions between myself, the owner and the Chelsea board and we all agreed that the timing of any statement would suit everyone involved in those talks, not any outside influences or agendas.

"What is clear to me following those discussions is that Chelsea's ambition remains as high as ever. This has been further proved by the appointment of (manager) Carlo Ancelotti. I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level."

Ancelotti said earlier this month that he considered Terry to be a "symbol of the club" and that no price would be enough to take him from Stamford Bridge.