Chelsea want Rice to replace Kante as holding midfielder and could flog TWO stars to raise funds for January transfer

FRANK LAMPARD will make a fresh move for Declan Rice in January as he eyes a new defensive midfielder, according to reports.

The Blues boss wants the West Ham ace to replace N'Golo Kante's role in the side with the view to playing the Frenchman in a more advanced position.

Lampard wanted Rice, 21, in the summer but couldn't raise the necessary funds to tempt the Hammers into selling.

CHELSEA NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Blues news

He spent over £200million on the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell despite the financial crisis from the pandemic.

write how two first-team players would need to leave in order to balance the books and raise the required funds to sign Rice.

West Ham would certainly not be willing to let him leave on the cheap with an asking price believed to be around £80million.

Rice still has four years left on his contract with the option for an extra year and has been in impressive form since the start of the new season.

SunSport exclusively revealed how the Hammers want him to sign another new contract that would see his wages double to £120,000-a-week.

But Rice is unlikely to pen a new contract while Chelsea's interest remains in place.

The Blues will look to make their move in January but know big-money deals are notoriously difficult to conclude in the New Year.

Rice would also be eligible to play in Chelsea's Champions League campaign should they progress from their group.

Despite the interest from Chelsea over the past year — where his best mate Mason Mount plays — Rice has never dropped his standards or sought to push for a move away from the East End club.

And it could mean Chelsea being forced to wait until the summer if they fail in January.