Ashley Cole transfer latest: Former England left-back Cole 'offered' deals to join Barcelona and AC Milan as former Chelsea defender considers his future
Cole is a free agent after his contract with Chelsea expired and reports claims the left-back has been approached by two of Europe's biggest clubs
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Your support makes all the difference.Ashley Cole has been offered the chance to join either Barcelona or AC Milan after leaving Chelsea on a free transfer, it is being reported.
The former England left-back, who announced his international retirement after being left out of Roy Hodgson’s squad for the World Cup, is free to negotiate a move to any club of his choosing after he saw his eight-year stay with Chelsea come to an end when the club decided not to renew his contract.
According to the Daily Mail, both Barcelona and AC Milan have approached Cole and put offers on the table for him to consider.
Barcelona do have the options of Spain number one Jordi Alba and Adriano in the left-back position, but it appears that recently-appointed manager Jose Enrique would like to strengthen his defence in an attempt to regain the Primera Division title from Atletico Madrid.
The club allowed Eric Abidal to leave on a free last season with the Frenchman returning to Monaco, and with the Catalan club conceding eight goals more than the champions, it is certainly an area of concern for Enrique.
Milan are another club who are adjusting to life after a managerial change after former striker Filippo Inzaghi was announced as the replacement to Clarence Seedorf, who was sacked after six months in charge of the Rossoneri.
The Italian side have Italy international Mattia De Sciglio as their regular left-back, but are rather short on cover should anything happen to the 21-year-old, and Cole would add valuable experience to both the Milan defence and the squad as a whole if he were to arrive in Milan.
Cole’s time at Chelsea ended with the 33-year-old featuring sparingly during Jose Mourinho’s first season back at Stamford Bridge, although his performances late in the season saw him included in the Champions League semi-final on merit.
However, the Chelsea hierarchy clearly felt that Cole no longer had a future with the club and allowed his contract to run down. Widespread reports have claimed Cole would like to remain in the Premier League, but that opportunities on the continent are available as well as moves to the MLS and the Middle East.
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