Frank Lampard has again insisted that he wanted Chelsea to sign Erling Haaland during his initial spell as the club's permanent manager.
Earlier this season when still at Everton, Lampard revealed that he made a play to bring Haaland to Stamford Bridge back in 2019, but the Blues were unsuccessful in their efforts.
Back in December 2022 ahead of Everton's 1-1 draw at Manchester City, Lampard said: "[Haaland] is an amazing player and the ultimate top level players generally can do what he does in a top level league.
"I coached against him in a pre-season game when he was playing for Salzburg. I tried to sign him for Chelsea and it was not to be.
"It was clear in our pre-match preparation what this boy was. Fair play to him. We are going against him and I respect those at the top of their game. I watched the World Cup final with [Kylian] Mbappe and [Lionel] Messi and Haaland has got himself in that bracket at a very young age."
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Ahead of Chelsea's trip to Man City on Sunday - a game which is expected to end with the hosts lifting the Premier League trophy - Lampard reiterated that he saw Haaland's potential in the summer of 2019.
It was initially put to Lampard that the Norwegian has scored as many Premier League goals this season as Chelsea (36), to which he retorted: "It's a fantastic stat from him. I know the Chelsea side is another story. I tried to sign him when I was last here. I was really keen to get him here but it couldn't happen.
"His level was really clear at that point as well. We had played him in a pre-season game at Salzburg and he was fantastic. I love seeing players at that level and with that personality to be the best which he has proven to be.
"I think he is special and thought he would adapt straight away because of his level. I thought because of his record scoring for his country and in Austria that he would come into a good unit already would have been a recipe to help him.
"I did expect that and I have a real respect for the player. I don't know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan of that [happening].
"People talk about mistakes in football and I don't know if it was that but I was pushing for him and a few other players. I'm not sure what the appetite was in the club to do it, the competition was big to take him and only he will know [if it was close]."
90min reported in August 2021 - seven months after Lampard had been replaced by Thomas Tuchel - that Chelsea were prepared to offer £150m for Haaland, but he ended up staying at Borussia Dortmund for one more year before signing for Man City.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Frank Lampard doubles down on Chelsea's Erling Haaland transfer interest.
