Antonio Conte still seeking Inter Milan reunion with two Chelsea stars

Reports in Italy claim that former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants reunite with N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud at Inter Milan.

The Italian was at the helm when both were brought to Stamford Bridge.

According to Tuttosport, Conte will reprise his previous interest in the French duo, in order to try and cut the five-point gap to AC Milan at the top of Serie A.

Giroud, 34, has once again fallen into a bit-part role at Chelsea this season, having forced his way into the starting XI towards the end of last term.

As for Kante, the 29-year-old still has two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract.

And Chelsea are extremely reluctant to sell the midfielder, who remains a pivotal cog in their machine as they chase a Premier League title under Frank Lampard.

Leeds United star tells Chelsea what to expect as fans return to Stamford Bridge (Check kick-off time here)

Leeds United star Stuart Dallas believes his club can match Chelsea when they two sides meet this evening.

It’s an 8pm kick-off as fans finally return to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea take on Leeds United in a Premier League match.

The Blues sit in third-place going into the weekend, with a chance to climb to the top of the Premier League with a victory, but Dallas is confident of the Whites’ chances at Stamford Bridge.

The Leeds utility man said: “These are the games you want to play in. It’s important we go there and try to put on a performance.

“It’s important that we just concentrate on ourselves and go there and try and put on as good a performance as we can.

“We know that if we’re on it and do what we trained all week to do then we’ll be a match for them.

“We don’t underestimate them. We know their quality and what they’ll bring to the game. We know how hard it is going to be.”

Former Manchester United tells Frank Lampard what to do about Olivier Giroud

Dimitar Berbatov has urged Chelsea to do everything in their power to keep hold of Olivier Giroud, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

Giroud has been Frank Lampard’s third-choice striker so far this season, but the France international scored four goals in the Blues’ comfortable Champions League victory over Sevilla on Wednesday.

Berbatov, speaking to Betfair, gave his view on the matter: “Believe me, scoring four goals in a game is difficult, it doesn’t matter who against, whether it’s Sunday League or Premier League, but scoring four goals in the Champions League is on another level and it’s a big achievement.

“I watch Chelsea’s matches and I like watching Giroud, every time I watch them and think about their attacking options I believe he has a place there, maybe not every game like he’d hope but there is certainly a role for him there and they should look to do everything to keep him.”

Chelsea hero wants Frank Lampard to be manager “for life” at Stamford Bridge

Branislav Ivanovic has backed Frank Lampard to take over as England manager one day – but hopes that he stays at Stamford Bridge ‘for life’.

The pair played together in West London between 2008 and 2014, winning six trophies along the way before Lampard departed for the Big Apple.

But now that Lamps, 42, is back at the Bridge, impressed Ivanovic, 36, hopes that he never leaves again.

The Serbian, now at West Brom in the twilight of his career, said: “When Frank decided to become a manager, everyone who knows him knew he was going to be a success.

“He is the right person in the right place, not just for Chelsea.

“I hope he will stay at Chelsea for life, but for sure he could give to his country and be manager of the England national team.”

Frank Lampard eyeing Chelsea contract extension, rules himself out of England national team job

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is seeking contract extension with just 18 months remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge, saying “I feel like I would love to be part of the long-term plan here.”

The Chelsea hero took over from Maurizio Sarri after the Italian gaffer secured Juventus appointment after one season in the saddle as Blues manager.

But Lampard is keen to remain the manager beyond the 18 months left on his deal to help the squad win titles.

The Chelsea boss said: “In terms of my contract, time seems to have flown by and I’ve got 18 months left.

“I felt it when I came to the club, I knew there were a lot of circumstances at the beginning that were going to make last year transitional and maybe slightly difficult.

“I felt like I took the job in a different position to most recent Chelsea managers. I think people sympathise with that as well. Now, I feel like I would love to be part of the long-term plan here.

“The signings we made in the summer, other than probably Thiago [Silva] particularly, were signings for now and the future, players that are going to progress and who will mature, and, of course, I would love to be part of that.

“Of course, that’s the club’s decision and the owner’s decision first and foremost, so I have to get on with the short term which starts with Leeds tomorrow. But I don’t think anybody would expect me to say anything else.

“I’m a lucky man to be managing the club that I love and is my life. So, of course, I want to make a success of it and be here as long as I can.”

Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich has brought in a ruthless era that has seen him hire and fire managers, with none of his appointments lasting three years or more. Whether Lampard can buck the trend is hard to say but he is aware that his future is in the hands of the Russian billionaire.

“That will only ever be decided by the owner and the only thing I can do is look at what’s in front of me and at that minute,” said Lampard regarding how long he will be in the Stamford Bridge hot seat. “Since I came in here, the relationship I have with Petr Cech [the performance and technical advisor at Chelsea] has been a huge strength for me.

“I get on so well with him and, hopefully, we work well together. The communication I have with Marina [Granovskaia, Chelsea director] is very regular. I try and do all the things I can for the club, for the best of the club on and off the pitch and I can’t get much further than that.

“I said before I would love to do this job as long as possible but I’m also very aware it will be based on results. At the minute, I think we’re working towards something and people are getting very excited and mentioning us being in a title race this year.

“I always saw it as a longer plan than that and it might take until next year for us to really challenge, because of the signings, because of the bedding-in process. What we’re doing at the moment, it’s really getting people excited, but I know we need to be consistent throughout the season.

“I’m genuinely not thinking too much about my future. I’m just thinking about the game-to-game at the minute. I guess the future will look after itself either way after that.”

On the prospect of managing England: “It’s certainly not anything that’s on my short-term radar,” he added. “But I’m very patriotic, I loved playing for my country but, at the moment, I’m focused on trying to do my best here in a long-term way, which is all I can think about.

“I appreciate if there was ever an opportunity, later down the line, it’s something I would certainly look at but you should never get too far down the line in this job.”