I wanted Declan Rice at Chelsea – Frank Lampard

Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has revealed he prioritised the signing of Declan Rice during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard spent 18 months in charge of the Blues during his first spell at the club before he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who went on to win the Champions League with the club.

The former England international was heavily linked with a move for Rice who played for West Ham United and had already racked up so many performances under his belt.

However, the Blues were unable to price the England midfielder away from the Hammers.

Lampard revealed in an interview with Steven Barlett on his podcast ‘Diary of a CEO’ that he wants to sign a young Declan Rice and eventually make him captain of the club.

“I wanted to bring in Declan Rice,” he explained. “I was like ‘this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years’. It didn’t happen, anyway, it is hard to dissect people’s work.”

Rice stayed at West Ham and is on the brink of joining Arsenal in a £105 million deal after the Gunners beat off opposition from Manchester City.