Frank Lampard has options

Chelsea’s midfield legend Frank Lampard has been linked with a number of clubs away from Stamford Bridge in the past few weeks as contract negotiations with the club continue to stall. Some of the names on the list are more sensational than others, with a move to London rivals Arsenal potentially on the cards for Lampard.

The Daily Mail reports that the midfielder will not be given an extension to his current contract, with Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez saying that “it seems likely at this point” that Lampard will leave the club at the end of the season. A potential switch could happen as soon as January though, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger seeing the former West Ham player as an ideal target.

Though known for spotting talented players when they’re young; signing such luminaries as Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie for a minute amount compared to what they fetched in the transfer market later on (as well as reportedly trailing Zlatan Ibrahimovic before he joined the Ajax youth team, and almost beating Sir Alex Ferguson to Cristiano Ronaldo); Wenger has been adding some experience to his squad of late, signing Spaniards Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta in their late 20s.

Lampard could be the ideal man for aiding the development of young star Jack Wilshire; a man widely hailed as the next big thing in English football; but with the Chelsea midfielder to leave in January and it’s no surprise that other clubs are clamouring for his signature.

LA Galaxy are now looking for a replacement for the departing David Beckham, and the Americans seem to think that there’s only one Englishman that can fill Golden Balls’ golden boots. The slower pace of Major League Soccer could see 35 year old Lampard re-establish himself as one of the very top players in the league.

However the Galaxy are also trailing Brazilian star Kaka, since MLS enjoys as big a following as it is likely to in England already, and the Real Madrid man would give the club a much higher profile among the Hispanic community of Los Angeles.

AEG President and Los Angeles Galaxy owner Tim Leiweke said: “I’m a huge Frank Lampard fan, and I personally have great respect for him. I’ve gotten to spend some time with him, and he’s an unbelievably good guy. But is he the right fit for our team now for what we need?”

Many Chelsea fans would agree with Leiweke, as the general consensus seems to be that Frank Lampard should see out his career at the Bridge.

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