Derby County are preparing to offer manager Frank Lampard a whopping £10m contract in order to stave off interest from Chelsea.

The former Blues midfielder is the talk of Stamford Bridge at the moment following the departure of Mauro Sarri, but the Daily Star is claiming that it is indeed the Rams who are making the biggest move to tie down Lampard to a long-term deal.

Owner Mel Morris is reportedly set to offer Lampard a massive £2.5m yearly salary set over a four year contract, a move which could well entice Lampard to stay put at Pride Park.

However, it remains to be seen whether Lampard has already had his head turned by Chelsea, who are desperate to land their former midfield player to replace the aforementioned Sarri, who departed for Italian giants Juventus just this past week.

Lampard led the Rams to the play-off final where they narrowly lost out to Aston Villa in a tight affair at Wembley. His performances in his first managerial role have drawn plenty of praise and admiring glances from those within the game, including it seems, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Derby will be desperate to keep hold of Lampard as they look to build on his debut season last time out, although they will be well aware of his affinity with the London club, meaning they might well be powerless to resist their advances.

The Verdict

I'm not sure money is the driver for Lampard on this decision if I'm honest.

He loves Chelsea, and he also clearly loves his job with Derby, but will a chance like this come around again? It's hard to gauge.

It is something of a free shot at Chelsea with no pressure due to their transfer ban, but he might also see this as a bit of nightmare. He has things going well at Derby, and with a bit of luck and some summer additions, he could well get them up this season.