Chelsea have reportedly earmarked club legend Frank Lampard as their preferred option to take over as manager should Maurizio Sarri leave the club this summer.
Speculation over Sarri's future continues to rumble on ahead of next week's Europa League final, with the Italian having failed to win over the Chelsea board or fans despite leading the club to a third-place finish and two cup finals.
The former Napoli boss has recently been linked with a return to Serie A to manage champions Juventus, and it is thought that Chelsea would not stand in the way of him taking that job.
Sky Italia claims that the Blues have already set their sights on Lampard as a replacement for Sarri, having been impressed with his start to life in management at Derby County.
Lampard has taken Derby to the Championship playoff final and is now just one game away from reaching the Premier League in his first season as a manager.
The 40-year-old is also fondly remembered at Stamford Bridge, where he scored a club-record 211 goals in 648 appearances between 2001 and 2014.
Barney Corkhill
