John Terry will hold informal talks with the Chelsea hierarchy with his future at Stamford Bridge still shrouded in uncertainty.
While Carlo Ancelotti has publicly insisted it would be 'impossible' for the England captain to move to Manchester City after their initial bid of £28million was rejected last week, the success of today's meeting - as well as the discussions that will inevitably follow - will determine if Terry remains the 'symbol' of the Chelsea team.
Terry appeared more than committed to the Chelsea cause when he followed victory in the FA Cup final by urging his employers to strengthen Ancelotti's team with the capture of players like David Villa and Franck Ribery.
But when Terry meets the new Chelsea manager for the first time on his return to training, having spoken to him just once on the phone a month ago, the only new names on the roster will be £18million Russia winger Yuri Zhirkov, goalkeeper Ross Turnbull and striker Daniel Sturridge.
For all the confidence being shown by Chelsea that Terry will remain as the club's skipper, it will be the first time that both sides get a clearer idea of where everyone stands. Right now Chelsea are no more certain about Terry's intentions than the player is that Chelsea really are committed to keeping him.
Chief executive Peter Kenyon has already said the skipper will not be offered a new contract - even though City are prepared to more than double his current £130,000-a-week wage.
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This afternoon it is the turn of Sturridge to be unveiled to the media, with the fee for his move from City yet to be decided by a tribunal.
A compensation figure of around £5m for the 19-year-old has been predicted, an amount which only emphasises Ancelotti's need to sell players should he plan to remodel his current squad further.
