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Lampard open to Chelsea return

Frank Lampard says he would love to return to Chelsea as a player, although the former England midfielder plans to spend plenty of time at Stamford Bridge even if he is not offered a deal.

The Blues' all-time leading goalscorer is considering his options after his contract with Major League Soccer side New York City expired.

Speaking alongside Blues captain John Terry on Soccer AM, Lampard said: "Myself and John are Chelsea through and through so, in some capacity, I will be at Chelsea.

"Whether it's with my season ticket, I don't know yet, I'll have very close contact.

"Whether I'll have the role (as a player), it's not all in my hands so I can't go any further on that.

"I'm very relaxed about it, which is a nice place to be. If the right thing comes, I'll take it... Chelsea, I'd love that, but it doesn't work that way always."

Lampard, who scored 211 Chelsea goals during a 13-year spell, left west London in the summer of 2014 and joined EPL rivals Manchester City on a six-month deal.

The 38-year-old then spent two seasons in New York before becoming a free agent last month.

"I feel fit, I'm fresh in the mind," he said.

"I understand when you get even past 30, you start to understand things are different.

"If I were to carry on playing, it would have to be perfect. I'm not being snobby and hand-picking what I want to do but perfect for my family, for me and all those things."

Chelsea are six points clear at the top of the table following an 11-game winning run which has coincided with a change in formation to 3-4-3 by manager Antonio Conte.

Defender Terry has played only six minutes during that sequence after losing his place following injury, but he has been impressed with the team's improved performances.

"The formation change... The manager had it in mind pre-season, so we'd done a lot of work on playing three at the back," Terry said.

"We lost the two games, Liverpool at home and then Arsenal away, and the manager just decided to switch and it's worked.

"It's taken other teams by surprise a little bit because we've not seen that many formations for so many years in the EPL." - PA SPORT

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