Frank Lampard will reportedly take over at Chelsea in the coming days after being assured of at least two years in the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge.
Maurizio Sarri is on the verge of leaving Chelsea for Juventus, and Lampard is set to replace him at the club where he plied his trade as a player for 13 years.
And the Derby boss has been given a major assurance, with The Sunday Times reporting that Roman Abramovich called him personally last week to tell him he would have at least two transfer windows to demonstrate his worth.
The Blues will need to pay a substantial compensation package to Derby to get Lampard and will use the money they receive from their own compensation package from Juventus.
It has been claimed this week that Derby — in a desperate bid to keep their manager after falling short of securing a place in the Premier League — have offered Lampard a new deal, but he is unlikely to rebuff the advances of his old club.
Chelsea are keen to bring in Lampard, knowing that he is a hugely popular choice with a fanbase who were frustrated last season by Sarri’s management despite winning the Europa League and finishing in the top four of the Premier League.
The Blues have also sold their talisman this summer in Eden Hazard, whose deal could eventually be worth up to £150million.
