Even during the season and between transfer windows, the rumours and speculation cannot be avoided.
Not even for Chelsea. The Blues are currently in the midst of a two-window transfer ban, yet even they are being linked with players. The Stamford Bridge outfit are currently appealing the sanction but are still waiting for an outcome.
A recent report has linked Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to the south-west London outfit.
Frank Lampard is said to have sent scouts to watch the Serbia international in action against Celtic in the Europa League, and 41-year-old Lampard apparently sees him as his heir in the middle of the park. He would apparently be available for £52m.
That, of course, is a big ask. The former Derby County boss is Chelsea’s record goalscorer, having netted 210 times in 648 appearances, and is a bonafide legend in SW6. However, despite those being such big boots to fill, 24-year-old Milinkovic-Savic could be the man to do so.
Many remember Lampard as a master goalscorer, which he eventually was. But towards the start of his career, that was not always the case.
Until the Blues won the Premier League title under Jose Mourinho in 2004/05, the most he had scored in a league campaign was 10, which came as a 25-year-old.
Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, bagged 12 goals in the league as a 23-year-old during the 2017/18 season. Even more impressive about that stat was the fact none came from penalties, unlike Lampard.
Last term, he managed just five strikes in Italy’s top tier, but he still has plenty of time to return to regular goalscoring ways, and there is surely no-one better to guide him there than the former West Ham midfielder.