Scolari dealt £6.5m poser for Lampard
Frank Lampard’s future at Chelsea will become all the clearer today when new Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari faces the English media for the first time.
Scolari finally met his players at the club’s Cobham training ground yesterday amid suggestions that Inter Milan have tabled a £6.5m bid for England midfielder Lampard.
Speculation was also rife surrounding striker Didier Drogba with AC Milan now publicly expressing an interest, leaving Scolari to face questions on the future of his high-profile duo, as well as transfer targets of his own.
Lampard, 30, has just one year left on his current contract and has failed to reach an agreement with the club over an extension.
At the same time, he is being tracked by former boss Jose Mourinho at Inter, and the recent arrival of Deco to Stamford Bridge could now pave the way for his departure.
Indeed, Inter’s general manager Ernesto Paolillo admitted the club’s interest in signing Lampard yesterday, insisting: “Lampard is one, just one, of our targets. If he comes he will be welcome.
“Of course it is always a question between quality and price. If it is not possible to reach Lampard we will try something else.” Scolari will also be alerted by AC Milan’s interest in Drogba, which was confirmed by their technical director Leonardo yesterday.
Milan are in the hunt for a striker and seemed to have turned their attentions to Drogba after Arsenal reportedly slapped a £36m price tag on Emmanuel Adebayor.
“It’s no secret we’re interested in signing a forward and are studying candidates,” Leonardo said.
Drogba is a fine player. We are waiting for the right time to move.” Leonardo also insisted there was ‘no possibility’ of Chelsea signing Brazilian star Kaka.
Milan claimed they had received an ‘astronomical offer’ from the Blues, a claim which has since been denied.
“I can only repeat what we keep saying,” Leonardo added. “There is no possibility of Kaka moving away from Milan. We have not received an official bid for him.”