Chelsea Rumors: Frank Lampard Earmarks Two Big-Name Signings For 2021

Ahead of the 2021 summer transfer window, Chelsea FC has already got its sights locked on two major signings.

Despite coming off back-to-back defeats in the English Premier League last week, the Blues have still managed to have a good season and are now in fifth place. However, Frank Lampard is once again tailing two elite players for 2021.

As early as now, Chelsea has identified West Ham star Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland as two “main goals” for the summer transfer window, per Sky Sports’ Angelo Mangiante.

However, the report also noted that Lampard’s side would need to let go of a couple of players, including Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho and Marcos Alonso.

Rice, who is one of the most talented midfielders in the English top-flight today, has already been heavily linked to a move to Stamford Bridge.

An initially plotted January transfer move is now “unlikely,” but the Blues are keen on making another attempt on the 21-year-old in the summer, Sports Illustrated reported.

Haaland, on the other hand, has been phenomenal in the German league and has regularly become a target of big-name clubs across Europe’s top five leagues.

Last summer, Chelsea was one of the winners in transfer window, having been able to seal a deal for Kai Havertz. The top prospect moved to Stamford Bridge from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee that ranged around the region of £70 m illion ($93.5 million).

However, Havertz failed to live up the hype of his blockbuster move as the 21-year-old has only scored once in 11 appearances for the Blues, becoming a subject of criticisms in the Premier League.

To Havertz’s defense, Lampard was recently quoted saying, “I’m not saying it will take a long time for Kai, but I think we have to give him a bit of time to settle in on and off the pitch, and that’s what’s happening. ”

Following his statement about Havertz, Lampard benched the former Bundesliga star alongside veteran striker Olivier Giroud in the last time out of the Blues’ 2-1 to defeat to Wolves on Wednesday. He then finally dropped the pair in Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to West Ham on Monday.

But according to the manager, he was just trying to mix things up in the midfield to better compete with the opposing team.

“It’s just a rotation and looking at different attributes of players against opposition,” Lampard explained. “And with Kai, similarly, I’ve got midfield players who are competing. I have to have a good level of competition. Nothing against Kai, he’s finding his feet and he will find his feet. It’s just the midfield I chose tonight.”