Premiership - Ranieri: no Juventus swoop for Lampard
Eurosport - Tue, 03 Jul 13:53:00 2007 [
link]
New Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri has denied that the club are set to swoop for Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. Ranieri signed Lampard for Chelsea in 2001 and watched the former West Ham man turn into an England regular and one of the most highly-rated players in Europe.
But, despite the Essex-born star entering a phase in his contract that allows him to buy his way out of Chelsea, Ranieri maintains that he is happy with what he has got.
"We are full in midfield and won't be signing anyone else there," Ranieri told the BBC. "Frank is a fantastic player - I know that better than anyone - but the only player we need before the start of the season is a central defender."
Although
Barcelona are understood to be at the head of the queue should he leave Chelsea, the rumours linking Lampard to Juventus intensified when he was spotted in conversation with Ranieri after England's 1-1 draw with Brazil at Wembley.
But Ranieri insisted it was nothing more than friendly banter:
"We had a great relationship when we were at Chelsea and it was good to catch up with him after England's game against Brazil last month," he confirmed.
"Many people said Frank wasn't worth the [£11 million] when I signed him but he worked very hard and went on to become one of the best midfielders in the world. That made me very proud."
Lampard would cost around £9 million if he were to move without signing a new contract this summer.
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