Derby County chairman Mel Morris has said that the Rams are keen on keeping hold of manager Frank Lampard amid the speculated interest from former side Chelsea. The Blues recently witnessed the departure of Maurizio Sarri to Juventus and reports have since associated Lampard with an emotional comeback to Stamford Bridge in a coaching capacity.

Speaking to Goal.com, Morris said that the Blues may be without a head coach at the current point of time but there has been no contact whatsoever from the side with regards to Lampard. He added that the club are determined to keep the 40-year-old for the long-term and have stated their ambition to the former England international.

He said: “There is no change except that Chelsea no longer have a manager. We’ve made it clear to everyone but most importantly to Frank, that we want to retain him for the long term. If Chelsea want to hire him, then it is in their gift to make an offer in pursuit of that. In the meantime, we’ll continue to put our best foot forward to continue with our plans for the coming season and work with Frank, (and) for him to know how much he’s wanted by everyone associated with the club.”

The Blues are currently not permitted to make any signings for the next two transfer windows as they are serving a transfer ban. Owing to this, there are likely to rely on the academy and reserve players to enhance the squad performance next term and Lampard may find success, considering he got the best out of some of the young players at Pride Park. Chelsea have already placed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the embargo and they are now awaiting a potential date for the hearing before deciding whether to apply for a freeze.