Lampard has crafty plan to help Chelsea beat Man Utd to £67m striker
Frank Lampard has told Chelsea chiefs he wants the club to make a transfer move for Lyon frontman Moussa Dembele – and beat Manchester United to his signature.
The Blues are ready to delve into the transfer market this month after successfully overturning FIFA’s ban on them signing new players and speculation has begun to swirl around about whom they will target.
What is evident, however, is that the Blues will look to strengthen their attacking options, with Lampard admitting just last month that is an area he is ready to focus on.
“There will be discussions about where we can strengthen,” Lampard said. “The transfer window will be a bit fluid.
“It is quite clear in the summer we lost Eden Hazard who has been a huge part of scoring and creating for us in the last few seasons. We need more competition in those creative areas.”
And despite Tammy Abraham brilliantly leading the line, the young England striker doesn’t have much in the way of competition – leading to speculation that Chelsea have already asked about Timo Werner.
However, according to Sky Sports, Lampard’s preferred option is Lyon striker Dembele, a player whose stock has risen significantly since his £20m move from Celtic in summer 2018.
The broadcaster claims Chelsea have intensively watched the player in recent months and Lampard wants club chiefs to strike early this month in a bid to beat rivals United – also credited with an interest in the player – to his signature.
The 23-year-old forward has scored 29 goals in 62 appearances across all competitions and is regarded as one of the most lethal finishers in Ligue 1 and leading to Lyon placing an €80m asking price for the former Fulham youngster.
That £67.4m fee is unlikely to deter Chelsea and it’s suggested the Blues could offer Lyon the chance to sign either Olivier Giroud or Michy Batshuayi – neither of whom have sufficiently impressed Lampard during his time in charge – as part of the package.
Abraham has netted 12 times this season, but Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are the club’s next highest scorers with five, underlining Lampard’s wish to bolster his frontline.
Meanwhile, Lampard has vowed to protect a struggling young Chelsea star from the trolls.
“I think it’s a lot at 19 to say with one performance you must produce instantly or you’ll get social media criticism, and I’ll certainly protect him against that,” said Lampard. Read more here!
