'He was my top target '— Frank Lampard names the player he wanted to sign, make captain at Chelsea

Frank Lampard has disclosed that he wanted to sign England international Declan Rice during his spell as manager of Chelsea.

The former Everton manager added that the West Ham midfielder was top on his transfer target as he saw a potential Chelsea captain in the 24-year-old.

Lampard made the disclosure in a podcast interview with Steven Bartlett.

“I wanted to bring Declan Rice to Chelsea when I was there as a coach before, he was my top target,” he said.

“I was like… this kid, Declan, is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years.”

Rice is currently on the radar of Arsenal this summer as Mikel Arteta has shown keen interest in signing the Chelsea academy product.

He guided West Ham to win the UEFA Europa Conference League last season, as the Hammers beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the grand finale.

WDN