Terry finally commits his future to Chelsea

Chelsea captain John Terry has finally committed his future to Chelsea and ruled out any possibility of signing for Manchester City.

The central defender's silence throughout City's pursuit this summer had only served to fuel the rumours but now he has come out to end the saga and insist he is "totally committed" to the Stamford Bridge side.

City had made two firm bids for Terry, both of which were rejected by Chelsea, and while Carlo Ancelotti and other club officials had always insisted there was never any chance of their skipper being sold there was always a nagging doubt until the player himself rejected a possible move.

It seems, however, that Terry did seek assurances that Chelsea's ambition still matched his own in discussions with owner Roman Abramovich.

Now Chelsea can plan for the new season safe in the knowledge that the 28-year-old will remain in west London, while City boss Mark Hughes will have to turn to other targets which include Arsenal's Kolo Toure and Everton defender Joleon Lescott.

In a statement released to Chelsea's official website, Terry said: "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 Carlo Ancelotti. I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level.

"Another important factor was knowing that Chelsea would be securing key current players for the long term. The strengthening of the squad around this core is crucial to pushing us on to greater success.

"I am as committed as ever to helping drive Chelsea forward and I will be proud to lead the team as long as I can."

Former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink expected Terry to remain with the London club.

The Dutchman, who led the club in a caretaker capacity from February until the end of the season before returning to his full-time role as Russia coach, told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "It depends always on the circumstances within the club and City have a lot of ambition. They want to be competitive with the top four.

"I haven't spoken with John, but if the team is competitive enough there shouldn't be any concern at Chelsea."