Lampard denies reports Kante sale will fund Havertz, Chilwell moves

Frank Lampard has refuted speculation that N'Golo Kante will be sold to help bankroll Chelsea's summer splurge on Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell.

The Blues manager is already set to welcome Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech into his squad for the 2020-21 season, but it's expected there will be more additions at Stamford Bridge when the summer transfer window opens.

However, Chelsea may need to free up funds to broker deals for Bayer Leverkusen's Havertz and Leicester City's Chilwell.

"In terms of N'Golo, I've seen some talk and reports about him and his future at the club," Lampard said during Friday's press conference, according to the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg. "I've said it a lot of times about N'Golo - one of the best midfield players in the world. I would have loved to be able to play with him. He has everything.

"Coming back to Chelsea and having N'Golo Kante is something I really want to appreciate and work with. Because of injuries it's been tough for N'Golo. It's nice to see him a little bit fresh. N'Golo is so important to us going forward. We need him regularly and hopefully we'll have that now."

Chilwell would address one of the weakest areas of Chelsea's XI, with both Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso struggling to lock down a regular starting berth under Lampard. Havertz, 21, would bring attacking presence to the midfield, where he would compete with Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley, and emerging academy talent Billy Gilmour.