Chelsea star ASHLEY COLE now among the highest paid defenders in the world.

  Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has joined the league of top earning defenders in the world after he was given a 'surprise' one year contract extension at Stamford Bridge.

The contract reported to be worth around £200,000 a week puts him at par with the likes of PSG defender Thiago Silva and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.

The blues are expected to announce the contract extension ahead of Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

The 32-year old is reported to have held talks with Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Manchester United, before Chelsea made a turn around to offer him a new contract.

This has been widely interpreted as the club’s attempt to appease fans who had been angered by the club’s decision to offload Cole and midfielder Frank Lampard at the end of the season.

However, the former Arsenal defender has moved to end that speculation by committing his future to the European champions for another 12 months. 

Cole joined the Blues from Arsenal in 2006 in controversial circumstances.