Derby County owner Mel Morris has said the club are yet to receive any contact from Chelsea for their manager Frank Lampard and insisted he is eager to keep the former Blues midfielder "for the long term". Following Maurizio Sarri's move to Juventus, Chelsea legend Lampard has emerged as the favourite for the Stamford Bridge vacancy. Lampard, who turns 41 on June 20, enjoyed a hugely successful spell as a player for Chelsea, becoming the club's record goalscorer and winning three Premier League titles as well as the Uefa Champions League. Morris, though, maintained the Championship club, who missed out on promotion when they were beaten by Aston Villa in the play-off final at Wembley last month, are determined to hold onto Lampard's services. "There's no change in the situation at present, except for the fact that Chelsea no longer have a manager," Morris told Sky Sports. "We have made it clear to everyone, but most importantly to Frank, that we want him and to retain his services for the long term. "If Chelsea want to hire Frank, then it is in their gift to make an offer in pursuit of that. In the meantime, we will continue to put our best foot forward to continue with our plans for the coming season, to work with Frank for him to know how much he is wanted by everyone associated with the club." Lampard is reported to have already told Derby he would be interested in talking to Chelsea if an approach was made. Moving for such an inexperienced manager would be a bold appointment by Chelsea and a big step for Lampard, but it would be a hugely popular move with supporters. Former Chelsea bosses Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho have also been touted as potential replacements for Sarri, who guided the London club to Europa League success last season. Sarri's successor will be the 14th different manager employed at Chelsea since owner Roman Abramovich took over in 2003. The 60-year-old Italian was in the position for just one year after succeeding compatriot Antonio Conte last summer. He guided the team to Europa League success, third place in the Premier League and the League Cup final. But the former investment banker failed to win over all Chelsea fans, with frustration at his regimented tactics and an apparent reluctance to play homegrown talents Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Form was also inconsistent at times and, with Sarri hankering after a return to Italy, the club decided not to stand in his way when Juventus expressed an interest. A compensation package understood to be in excess of £5 million (Dh23m) was agreed with the Serie A champions.
