Derby County will not be reuniting Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou this summer, according to Kicker and reported by Derbyshire Live.

Speculation had mounted that Lampard wanted to take the 32-year-old to Pride Park to spearhead a Premier League promotion challenge, but Hertha Berlin's boss has rubbished such reports.

Michael Preetz, general manager of the Bundesliga side, has spoken out about the speculation, putting paid to any lingering hopes Lampard might have of signing the Ivory Coast forward.

"Salomon was our top scorer last season," he told Kicker. "He is staying here - we are planning with him.

"With all due respect to Derby County, while it is realistic Salomon will be keen on a new challenge at some stage, it's hardly going to be the English second division, even if Lampard and Sala respect each other from Chelsea."

Kalou spent several years at Chelsea as a team mate of Lampard, moving to Berlin via Lille after his Stamford Bridge departure.

He scored 12 times for Berlin last season and was a 2012 Champions League winner with Chelsea.

The Verdict

The huge fee seemed to be unrealistic for a 32-year old, but Preetz's firm denial of the rumour only kills it further.

Were Derby ever going to pay such a big sum for a player of that age with an average scoring record? Or was there a journalist somewhere putting two and two together and coming up with £12m?

Derby fans... Disappointed? Let us know your thoughts!