Chelsea’s spending this summer is set to go above the £250 million mark with the Blues finally ready to submit a bid for West Ham star Declan Rice, according to The Sun.
The Blues have already splashed out £131.3m to sign Timo Werner, plus Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell.
Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr joined Chelsea as free agents while Kai Havertz’s deal is expected to cost around £70 million before bonuses.
West Ham are demanding a fee of £80 million for Rice, which is £15 million higher than what Chelsea are willing to pay for the England international.
Lamps sees 21-year-old midfielder Rice — who also plays in defence — as the ideal man to help the club get back in the Premier League title mix.
Lampard is reportedly willing to wait it out for Rice as he knows the Hammers will need to stump up the cash to buy this summer.