Internazionale made their long-mooted interest in Chelsea's Frank Lampard public last night after the Serie A champions' president, Massimo Moratti, confirmed the midfielder is their "No. 1 priority" in the transfer market this summer.
Inter are yet to make a formal approach to the Premier League club to request permission to speak to Lampard, who has a year left on his current contract, though Chelsea are aware of their interest. Jose Mourinho's appointment as manager at San Siro has opened the possibility of a move to Italy with Lampard's future expected to become clearer when he returns from a family holiday in Ibiza.
Mourinho is keen on adding the midfielder, who turns 30 next week, to his ranks at the Nerazzurri for a fee of about £8m. "Everybody considers Lampard a great player, but this doesn't mean that signing him will be easy," said Moratti. "We like him, though, and he's our No1 priority. Mourinho likes Lampard a lot. We all know that he can be a great player with us."
Moratti suggested that Inter are also interested in the Barcelona midfielder, Deco. "He is one of the players with the characteristics that could be useful to our team," said Moratti. Deco had been heavily linked with Chelsea, though despite his form at Euro 2008 there are some reservations at Stamford Bridge about the recruitment of a player who is almost 31.
Lampard was a key member of Mourinho's Chelsea side, but Luiz Felipe Scolari has yet to say whether he sees the player as part of his long-term plans. The Brazilian manager has other targets, primarily Kaka, despite Milan's apparent refusal to countenance the Brazil forward's departure.
Source: Guardian.co.uk
Photo: Jim Watson/AFP
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