Chelsea Football Club News

• Nickname:Blues
• Founded:1905
• Manager:Roberto Di Matteo

• Ground:Stamford Bridge
• Capacity:42,440

Ranieri rules out Lamps

03 Jul 2007 - 17:04:38

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New Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri has ruled out a summer bid to try and tempt England ace Frank Lampard away from Chelsea.

Doubts over the 28-year-old's future at Stamford Bridge have been doing the rounds, with talks over a new contract having seemingly stalled.

However, Ranieri says he has no plans to try and lure Lampard to Turin, having previously worked with the midfielder during his time in charge of the Blues.

The Italian told BBC Sport: "We are full in midfield and won't be signing anyone else there.

"Frank is a fantastic player - I know that better than anyone - but the only player we need before the start of the season is a central defender.

"Many people said Frank wasn't worth the money when I signed him, but he worked very hard and went on to become one of the best midfielders in the world. That made me very proud."

Lampard joined Chelsea in the summer of 2001 for £11million from West Ham United and has gone on to be one of the key players in the Blues' success under Jose Mourinho.

The England schemer has scored 90 goals in 329 appearances for the Blues to date.