Lampard open to Chelsea return as player

Frank Lampard admitted on Saturday he would relish a return to Chelsea as a player and is keen to rejoin the Premier League leaders in some capacity even if he is not offered a deal.

The former England midfielder is Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer and is keeping his options open after leaving New York City FC following a two-year spell with the MLS side.

Appearing alongside Blues captain John Terry on Sky Sports, Lampard said: “Myself and John are Chelsea through and through so whatever happens, in some capacity I will be at Chelsea.

“Whether it’s with my season ticket, watching them, I don’t know yet, I’ll have very close contact. Whether I’ll have the role (as a player), it’s not all in my hands so I can’t go any further on that.

“I’m very relaxed about it, which is a nice place to be. If the right thing comes, I’ll take it. Obviously Chelsea, I’d love that, but it doesn’t work that way always.”

The 38-year-old left Stamford Bridge in 2014 after scoring 211 goals in a 13-year spell at Chelsea, briefly playing for Manchester City before heading to the United States.

He scored 15 times in 31 appearances for New York City and has yet to decide whether he will retire or not.

“I feel fit, I’m fresh in the mind,” Lampard added. “I understand when you get even past 30, you start to understand things are different.

“What I would say is, if I was to carry on playing, it would have to be perfect. I’m not being snobby and hand-picking what I want to do but perfect for my family, for me and all those things.”