CHELSEA WILL BEGIN the process of building for next season this week by entering into formal contract talks with John Terry, Frank Lampard and Arjen Robben. Ricardo Carvalho gave the club a boost by signing a new five-year deal at the weekend, as The Times revealed he would last month, but the futures of his teammates with two years remaining on their contracts could be more difficult to secure.

All three players want to stay at Stamford Bridge but only on the right terms, with Terry and Lampard seeking the same £130,000-a-week salary as Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack. Robben’s deal should be more straightforward as he is prepared to shun fresh interest from Bayern Munich. The Holland winger was initially receptive to Bayern’s overtures as a result of problems with José Mourinho, but as their relationship has improved in recent weeks he is increasingly minded to stay.

“I will be here next season, that’s for sure,” Robben said. “I want to show again what I did in my first season. I was very happy with the manager’s comments and it proves I just want to do my best for the team.”

Terry and Lampard voiced similar sentiments in the aftermath of Saturday’s victory over Manchester United, but as a result of their age and profile are looking for deals that will keep them at the club for the rest of their careers. The captain broke off talks in February after Chelsea rescinded an initial offer of a nine-year contract and Lampard has also rejected the club’s £110,000-a-week offer, but Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, is confident that a resolution to both stand-offs is imminent.

Lampard’s situation is more pressing as he has 13 more days to decide whether to buy himself out of his contract. “Now we will be concentrating on getting those contracts put to bed, and John Terry and Frank Lampard starting back with us on July 9,” Kenyon said. “We want Frank to stay, Frank said yesterday he wants to stay and that is clearly a great benefit for getting a contract finalised. Now the season is over, hopefully we can concentrate and get that one done pretty quickly.”

“I think now is the time for people to speak, to have a calm dialogue,” Mourinho, the manager, said. “You’re speaking about players with a passion for the club and speaking about players that the club has a passion for. They want to stay and I feel this is a very important item.”

Chelsea will begin their recruitment drive by completing the signing of Steve Sidwell on a free transfer from Reading before moving on to buying a new striker, with Benni McCarthy their main priority. The South African played for Mourinho at FC Porto and has become even more attractive since retiring from international football, making him available for the whole of next season.

Blackburn Rovers paid £1.8 million for him 12 months ago, but after finishing as the Barclays Premiership’s second-highest goalscorer, his value has risen steeply.

McCarthy has an escape clause in his contract allowing him to leave Ewood Park at the end of next season for a bid of £6 million – or £5 million for a club not involved in the Champions League – so Chelsea may have to pay £10 million to secure him this summer.

Kenyon also confirmed that Shevchenko and Ballack would be staying. “We have brought both these players in for three or four years – we did not bring them in for a season,” Kenyon said. “I am confident they are going to be here as big players with Chelsea next season.”

Chelsea confirmed yesterday they would not be holding a victory parade because of organisational problems and the fact that many of their players are going away on international duty.