Lampard open to Chelsea comeback, says will love to return as player

Johannesburg [South Africa], Dec. 25 (ANI): Former England midfielder Frank Lampard has expressed his desire to make a return to Chelsea as a player, adding that he is keen to rejoin the club in some capacity even if he is not offered a deal. Lampard, who is all-time leading goal-scorer for the Premier League leaders, is keeping his options open after leaving New York City FC. "Myself and John are Chelsea through and through so whatever happens, in some capacity I will be at Chelsea," Sport24 quoted Lampard as saying. "Whether it's with my season ticket, watching them, 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. Obviously Chelsea, I'd love that, but it doesn't work that way always," he added. Lampard, who scored 211 Chelsea goals during a 13-year spell, left Stamford Bridge in 2014 and joined Manchester City on a sixth-month deal. The 38-year-old then spent two seasons in New York before becoming a free agent last month. He scored 15 times in 31 appearances for the club and is yet to decide whether he will retire or not. "I feel fit, I'm fresh in the mind," Lampard said. "I understand when you get even past 30, you start to understand things are different." "What I would say is, if I was 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," he added. (ANI)