May 1st, 2020 at 02:11 pm
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has drawn up a shortlist of eight players he thinks could improve his Blues squad ahead of the January transfer window.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has drawn up an eight-man transfer shortlist, Express Sport understands. The Blues learned on Friday that their two-window ban will be halved after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
FIFA had imposed the embargo back in February due to rules breaches regarding the signing of young players but the punishment has been reduced to a single window.
Given that was served in the summer, Chelsea will be able to resume transfer business in the upcoming January transfer market.
Lampard has admitted that the London club can now “look at the market going forward” with internal discussions likely to follow as they set out plans for the winter window.
Some reports have indicated that the Chelsea manager will be given £150million by owner Roman Abramovich in January.
And Express Sport understands that Lampard is keen on eight players, as he looks to bolster his youthful squad.
The club legend has overseen an excellent start to the season with Chelsea sat fourth on 29 points, winning nine of their first 15 Premier League games.
Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount are among those to have established themselves as key players, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James also impressing.
As he looks to build on the development of his current Chelsea team, built around a core of homegrown academy graduates, Lampard has made Jadon Sancho his number one target for January.
Zaha was tipped to join Arsenal and then Everton last summer but neither move transpired with Palace’s valuation of their star man seemingly prohibitive.
Otherwise, CSKA Moscow’s Fedor Chalov – also previously linked with Palace – is a name mooted with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Timo Werner of RB Leipzig and Lyon frontman Moussa Dembele, both heavily linked with Manchester United, are other targets.
Express Sport understands Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a big fan of Leipzig’s Werner, one of Germany’s deadliest strikers, but will have to wait until the summer to land him.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has also long kept tabs on Werner, who has 78 goals and 36 assists in 134 matches across all competitions for Leipzig.
Ex-Fulham and Celtic No 9 Dembele boasts 30 goals and six assists across his 18 months in France.
In midfield, Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech has emerged as a target, having lit up the Champions League and Eredivisie last term as the Dutch outfit starred on both the domestic and continental stages.
Lampard also has designs on improving his back-line, which has leaked 21 goals in the league so far this term, with left-back a position the manager is keen on improving.
Leicester’s Ben Chilwell is his chosen man to succeed Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri.
In central defence, Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake – another Chelsea academy graduate – is being eyed for a return.
Still only 24, the Dutchman would be available for £39m via a buy-back clause with Ake having made himself one of the English top-flight’s best young centre-halves on the south coast.
Lampard said on his transfer plans: “I have a few ideas of players in mind. It is all about how I can improve the squad.
“Now we know what we can do, starting today conversations can be had. I will put forward my case of what I think will improve us, and hopefully we will make the move from there.
“Every big team buys. Look at what Manchester United and City, Tottenham and Arsenal have spent.
“We have managed to utilise the hard work that has gone into the academy over the years and that’s great to see. But we still want to improve.”
Source: express.co.uk