Here are your Chelsea morning headlines for Sunday, June 28.
Chelsea chase £45m West Ham star
Frank Lampard wants to bring former academy player Declan Rice back to Chelsea this summer, with the Blues reportedly willing to pay £45million for the England international.
The 21-year old spent eight years at Chelsea from 2006 to 2014, before moving to West Ham following his release from Stamford Bridge.
However, according to reports from the Daily Mail, Lampard is determined to secure a reunion with Rice as part of an ambitious plan to convert him from a defensive midfielder into a centre-back.
Rice has switched between midfield and defence for David Moyes’ side this season, and Lampard is confident he can mould him into a leading Premier League defender if a deal is reached with the Hammers.
Blues boss hints at sweeping changes for Leicester clash
Lampard is set to make wholesale changes to his side for today’s FA Cup quarter-final clash at Leicester City.
The former England international confirmed he will rotate his options following the midweek Premier League win over Manchester City ahead of a demanding end-of-season run-in.
“We will certainly need to think about rotation to keep the freshness in the players. It is nice to be able to call on players, particularly in certain areas of the pitch,” he said.
“We are not overloaded in any area, and that is something we may need to address in the summer. But for now, we will need all the quality we have.”
Tammy Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Reece James are all in line to return to the starting line-up at the King Power Stadium.
Italy international Jorginho is also set to come back in following suspension, with N’Golo Kante rested.
Lampard pleased with Gilmour’s progress
Frank Lampard was unable to contain his delight at Billy Gimour’s brief cameo appearance in Chelsea’s midweek 2-1 win over Manchester City.
The 19-year old came on as an 89th minute substitute for Mason Mount, but he still had time to create a chance for fellow sub Pedro with a brilliant cross-field pass.
As picked up by The Athletic’s Chelsea reporter Liam Twomey, Lampard shouted ‘YES!’, as Gimour almost put the Spaniard through for a third goal.
The Scottish U21 international produced outstanding displays in the Blues pre-lockdown wins over Liverpool and Everton, but this was his first appearance following the season’s restart.
Lampard is expected to give him another run-out in today’s FA Cup quarter-final at Leicester as part of a much-changed Blues side.
