Chelsea to Finalise £4m Frank Lampard Appointment Next Week

Derby County manager Frank Lampard will reportedly sign on the dotted line with former club Chelsea as early as next week, just one year into his managerial

Derby County manager Frank Lampard will reportedly sign on the dotted line with former club Chelsea as early as next week, just one year into his managerial career.

Appointed at Pride Park in his first-ever senior job last year, Lampard guided the Rams to a place in the Championship play-off final but eventually missed out on promotion to Aston Villa.

But having been shortlisted by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to take over from Maurizio Sarri this summer, ESPN claim that Lampard will leave Derby County next week to seal his return to west London.

The Blues will be forced to pay a £4m compensation fee to the Championship club for the move, but it's funds that they've already recouped following former manager Sarri's decision to succeed Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus.

The Italian head coach spent just one season at Stamford Bridge, but he guided the club to a Carabao Cup final, a third-place finish in the Premier League and all the way to lifting the Europa League in May - Sarri's first ever piece of silverware as a manager.

Lampard, meanwhile, spent 13 years at Chelsea as a player and remains their highest ever goalscorer, as well as being fourth in the club's all-time appearance chart.

He's expected to sign a three-year contract with Chelsea, having rejected an improved contract offer from Derby owner Mel Morris who wanted to keep Lampard at the club for at least another season.

Michael Regan/GettyImages

The 41-year-old will be tasked with guiding Chelsea through their two-window transfer ban, but significantly he'll be without the club's talisman Eden Hazard following his move to Real Madrid earlier this month.