New York City FC may have sent it’s first shockwave through Major League Soccer. According to reports out of England, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has agreed to join impending expansion team, who will begin play in March 2015. Breaking away from his national team’s World Cup preparations, Lampard reportedly spent Saturday at the home of NYC FC’s co-owners, Manchester City, to work out the final details of his move.
According to the Daily Mirror, the veteran midfielder was joined at Carrington by Atlético Madrid forward David Villa, who is also expected to sign with the new MLS club. The players’ contracts with their current clubs expire this summer, with Lampard expected to take a large pay cut to join the new MLS franchise:Both deals are a huge statement of intent from City’s US franchise which kicks off in the new Major League Soccer season next March. Lampard is understood to be have agreed to a basic wage significantly less than the £150,000-a-week that he picked up at Chelsea.
That pay packet is expected to be boosted substantially by bonuses however with the England midfielder’s signing a massive coup.
Lampard, 35, had been linked with a move to the LA Galaxy last season before signing a one-year contract extension with the Blues. The possibility of a similar extension had been recently reported, though if he’s agreed to move to New York, the Chelsea icon will end his 13-year, 211-goal stay at the club.
Villa’s stay at Atlético Madrid has been far shorter, but the capture of Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer could prove as impactful on the field. At 33 years old, Villa scored 15 all-competition goals for the Spanish champions and would leave La Liga with 247 career league goals.
For Jason Kreis and the rest of New York City FC, the signings would be a huge but expected statement of intent from Major League Soccer’s richest side. Jointly owned by Manchester City and Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, New York City FC was expected to use its Designated Player spots to bring in an infusion of high-profile talent. Between Lampard’s legacy at Chelsea and Villa’s success at club and international level, the club’s primed to do just that.