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Frank Lampard admits he was a 'big fan' of Declan Rice but could not pull off signing at Chelsea despite lauding West Ham star as 'a leader destined for great things'

Frank Lampard has revealed he wanted to sign Declan Rice when he was Chelsea manager and has spoken in glowing terms about the midfielder.

The 22-year-old has captained West Ham regularly over the last year and is now a pivotal part of Gareth Southgate's England squad ahead of this summer's Euros.

Chelsea were often linked with Rice throughout Lampard's tenure and the former Blues boss has spoken about his admiration for the midfielder during a Q&A session for the Willow Foundation on Friday and said that the transfer didn't come off for 'various reasons'.