Mark Schwarzer to sign new Chelsea contract

Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is set to sign a new contract at Chelsea.

After joining the Stamford Bridge outfit on a one-year deal last summer as cover for first choice Petr Cech, the 41-year-old former Middlesbrough stopper has been told that the club want him to stay on.

“I’ve had messages from the boss, he’s very keen for me to re-sign with the club,” he said.

“And that’s all I really need to know, that he wants to keep me at the club and I’ll leave the rest up to the powers-that-be to sort it all out.

“I’m confident it’ll be sorted out in the next week or two.”

Schwarzer featured just four times for Chelsea in the Premier League last term but is delighted at the prospect of another year in London. However, he admitted that he would like to play in the Australian A-League before he finally hangs up his gloves.

“I did say a couple of years ago that I’d never come back and play in the A-League – that was something I regret saying, purely on the basis that you should never say never because things do change,” he said.

“It wasn’t out of disrespect to the A-League, it was just that I always wanted to play at the highest level – which I do want to do.

“I still want to stay in Europe as long as possible. If I have the chance to stay at a club like Chelsea, I’d love to do so because it’s an unbelievable experience.

“I had opportunities to play in the Champions League semi-final (at the end of last season) and vie for the title – and that’s something invaluable and something I hadn’t experienced before. And I wouldn’t change anything for it.”