China's top two teams want John Terry

Shanghai Shenhua and Guangzhou Evergrande are prepared to provide the Chelsea and England skipper with a move abroad, away from the potential fallout following allegations that he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. The Chinese are believed to be ready to offer Terry (left) a loan or short-term deal on up to £200,000 a week if he feels like getting away from it all for a while... provided Chelsea can be persuaded to let him go. The money men behind China’s fast- emerging clubs have made Terry a wanted man as they seek to establish themselves as a world football force as well as an economic one. Both Shanghai and Guangzhou would be prepared to pay Terry top money for him to take a ‘sabbatical’ from English football while the clamour over his court case dies down.

The money men behind China’s fast- emerging clubs have made Terry a wanted man as they seek to establish themselves as a world football force as well as an economic one

Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka has already been lured to Shanghai on £175,000 a week – the sort of weekly wage that most Chinese couldn’t earn in a lifetime. Terry’s former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti could also throw him a lifeline after being named as the new coach at PSG – but it is the prospect of Terry temporarily turning his back on the race issues that have surrounded him in favour of becoming a football god in China for a few months at least that will catch football’s imagination. And according to Ted Buxton, who was technical adviser to the China national team in 1997/98 and is still in contact with officials there, the Chelsea icon could do a lot worse. Buxton, a key member of the England set-up during the reigns of Terry Venables and Sven-Goran Eriksson, predicts the Chinese football revolution is likely to sweep all before it in time.

“The Chinese would look after Terry in every sense,” said Buxton. “They are very loyal to those who do a good job. “Now they are attracting big guns it’s not rocket science to guess where they want to go. They’ve got to be winners. They don’t skimp on anything and what they are doing is unbelievable.” With Chelsea still hoping to sign Gary Cahill to play alongside Terry, manager Andre Villas-Boas is unlikely to give his blessing for his talisman skipper to take a break in China, despite the enormous pressures on him. But if Terry also loses the England captaincy again he could be forgiven for seeking some brief peace and quiet in the Far East.