Frank Lampard has admitted he saw Declan Rice as Chelsea captain 'for the next ten years' as he advocated for his signing in 2020.
Then the permanent manager at Stamford Bridge, Lampard pushed to see Rice brought back to the club that released him as a youngster, but Chelsea's recruitment team ultimately refused to sanction the expensive signing.
Three years later and Rice is on the move to Arsenal, who are set to confirm his signing for a cool £105m, but i could have all been so different had Lampard had his wish.
"When I was at Chelsea before, I wanted to bring in Declan Rice," Lampard confirmed on the Diary of a CEO podcast. "I was like 'this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next ten years'. But it didn't happen."
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Rice remained on Chelsea's radar up until this summer, when Arsenal took charge of the race for his signature.
Impressed by the project on offer at the Emirates Stadium, Rice ultimately opted to give his priority to Arsenal instead of Chelsea or his numerous other suitors, and a £105m move to join up with Mikel Arteta's side is expected to be announced imminently.
As for Chelsea, their current focus is on landing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, whose own £100m price tag has been based around West Ham's asking price for Rice.
The Blues are open to signing more than one midfielder this summer and are known admirers of Southampton's Romeo Lavia, among others.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Frank Lampard: I wanted Declan Rice as Chelsea captain for next decade.
