By Clare Lovell
COBHAM, England (Reuters) - Chelsea captain John Terry has won the right to stay another year at the Premier League leaders and is on the verge of signing a contract, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday.
The Portuguese coach said the 34-year-old Terry, who joined Chelsea 20 years ago as a schoolboy, had accepted the club's rule that over-30s will be offered only yearly contracts.
"I think everybody wants to stay and especially him who has been here all his life. He accepted our policy of going year after year with a smile and he accepted it as a challenge," Mourinho said after training for Saturday's home game against Burnley.
"Last year he won the challenge and this year he is winning the right of getting a one-year extension. Sooner or later he will get the season contract he deserves."
Terry, a former England captain, has started every league game this season.
Mourinho, who has a full squad to choose from apart from the injured John Obi Mikel, added he was not talking about his own contract, despite reports of an extension in British media.
"I'm different. I have two more years of contract. I want to stay. I think the club is happy but. ..I don't need a contract right now," Mourinho said.
"I will stay (as long as) Mr Abramovich will want me to stay."
Mourinho said he was amazed how lucky his Belgian forward Eden Hazard was considering the punishment he receives every match from heavy tackles. Statistics show Hazard is the most fouled player in the Premier League.
"I was aware of the number of fouls, every time he had the ball he was surrounded," Mourinho said of Tuesday's Champions League match against Paris St Germanic.
"But only on TV I could understand the dimension of the fouls because some of them were really, really dangerous ones. He's so fair and honest that he deserves to be lucky."