FRANK LAMPARD will have a wealth of options at his disposal if he pulls off a stunning January deal for Declan Rice.
The Blues missed out on the West Ham superstar in the summer but are set to make a return for his signature in the New Year.
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Lampard eyes the 21-year-old as the final piece in his jigsaw as he looks to build a side capable of challenging for the title.
Although he can slot in at centre-back, Lampard wants him in his favoured holding midfield role allowing N’Golo Kante the freedom to play further forward.
It will only add to Chelsea’s solid defence who have kept five consecutive clean sheets.
If and when Rice does sign, Chelsea will have strength and depth all over the pitch.
The creativity of Kai Havertz, engine of Kante and discipline of Rice will offer balance in the middle of the park.
West Ham would certainly not be willing to let him leave on the cheap with an asking price believed to be around £80million.
Rice still has four years left on his contract with the option for an extra year and has been in impressive form since the start of the new season.
SunSport exclusively revealed how the Hammers want him to sign another new contract that would see his wages double to £120,000-a-week.
But Rice is unlikely to pen a new contract while Chelsea’s interest remains in place.
It it claimed Chelsea will need to let at least two big names leave the club in order to raise funds to land Rice.
With an already congested midfield, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic could find their futures in doubt.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
