Chelsea captain John Terry confirms he is to leave Stamford Bridge this summer

Chelsea captain John Terry has confirmed he is to leave the club at the end of the season after the Blues decided against offering him a new contract. The 35-year-old defender revealed after Chelsea's emphatic FA Cup win against MK Dons on 31 January that he will continue his playing career away from Stamford Bridge.

Terry - who has played more than 600 games for the west London club since joining them as a schoolboy - said during a post-match interview that Chelsea had decided against renewing his contract. He confirmed that he wants to continue his playing career, but insisted he will not sign for another English club.

"To be honest, I was in last week before the Arsenal game and it's not going to be extended. It's my last run in the FA Cup so I want to make it a good one," he said, according to The Mirror. "It's a big season for me and I want to push on - not just in this competition but in the Premier League as well. I knew before the Arsenal game so mentally I've kind of accepted it. We just have to move on.

"They said that when the new manager comes in, things might change. It's a no at the minute. I needed to know now like I have done every January and sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done."

Terry revealed he has known about the decision for more than a week, and has promised to give everything for Chelsea between now and the end of the season.

He added: "It's not going to be a fairytale ending, I'm not going to retire at Chelsea. It's going to be elsewhere which it took me a couple of days to get over.

"But like I say, I knew before the Arsenal game and my performance isn't going to change - the way I train, what I give for the club. I want to give everything and finish on a high, on 100 per cent good terms with the club."

Terry is the most successful captain in the club's history, having progressed through the youth team to become a cornerstone of the first-team squad. The former England captain has not said which club he will join in the coming months.

Asked if he could play elsewhere in England, the club captain said: "No. I couldn't do that to the Chelsea fans. I couldn't play for another Premier League club. It will be elsewhere for sure. I don't know where and I leave that to the people in charge. It certainly won't be in the Premier League."

Terry also revealed that he learned of the news through his agent, rather than being told face to face. "My agent made the call like we do very January. He got told over the phone and I called to set up a meeting the following day," he shared.

"The club immediately set that up which was great of them to do that. I wanted to hear it face to face. They told me. Unfortunately it's not going to be. I feel was though I'm in great nick, I'm playing great and I've got a couple of years to go. It'll just be elsewhere."