John Terry’s proposed move to Russia to join Spartak Moscow has been called off by the former Chelsea captain.
The former England defender had flown by private jet to Rome on Friday for a medical with the club ahead of finalising personal terms on a tax-free deal, believed to be in the region of £3million a year.
With the move off, a statement from Terry read: ‘After considerable thought, I have decided to decline a contract offer from Spartak Moscow. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Spartak and wish them and their supporters well for the rest of the season.
John Terry has called off a move to join Spartak Moscow on a one-year deal worth £3million
Terry left the country on Friday evening by private jet ahead of his medical and finalising terms
‘They are an ambitious club and I have been very impressed with their professionalism.
‘But after assessing this move with my family, we’ve decided this is not the right move for ourselves at this time. Good luck Spartak.’
Photos of Terry undergoing the medical appeared on his Instagram account but the move is now off.
The 37-year-old has had numerous offers since leaving Aston Villa as a free-agent in the summer following their play-off final defeat to Fulham.
Terry has kept himself fit by training throughout the summer and admitted to Sportsmail that he was ‘still hungry to play if everything around it is right’.
Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, Terry insists he still has the hunger to continue playing
The former Chelsea captain feels he is in the best shape for the last eight to ten years
‘I am in the best condition I have been in for the last eight to 10 years of my career,’ said Terry.
‘I’ve had a brilliant summer, the first time in 20 years I have been able to get away like that with my family during the school holidays.
‘I was away so much last year because I was fully committed to giving everything to Aston Villa, but now I am fully recharged.’
The Russian side targeted Terry to replace French defender Samuel Gigot who picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury last week and is out for the remainder of the season.
The former England defender is a free agent having left Aston Villa at the end of last season
With the transfer window closing in Russia at the end of the week, the club arranged for the final details to be sorted in Italy to speed up the process.
Spartak arranged the medical at Rome’s Villa Stuart clinic on Saturday lunchtime to speed up the move, with agent Marco Trabucchi sent over to oversee the final negotiations.
That medical saw Terry post an apology as he had to withdraw from a ‘Match for Cancer’ at Celtic Park on the same day, writing: ‘I’m sorry I can’t be there today to support James Milner and Stiliyan Petrov today at Celtic Park.’
Spartak are due to face Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in the Europa League and are also chasing the domestic title, just two points off the leaders Zenit St Petersburg, who are captained by his former Chelsea team-mate Branislav Ivanovic.