COMFORT IN OLD FACES

Chelsea set to offer Lampard manager’s job with club legend Cech also to return

FRANK LAMPARD is set for an emotional return to Chelsea as the west London club prepare to formally offer him the manager’s job.

Derby County — provided Chelsea are respectful in their pursuit of their manager and pay £4million in compensation — will not stand in Lampard’s way.

Chelsea were pressing ahead with plans to appoint their all-time leading goalscorer as Maurizio Sarri’s successor, with formal talks to take place once permission is granted by the Rams.

Sarri’s exit should be finalised over the weekend after Juventus agreed to pay up to £8m in compensation for the Italian.

The impending return of club legend Lampard will help galvanise a fanbase that was fractured during Sarri’s tumultuous, but ultimately successful reign.

And Sportsmail understands there is a growing determination behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge to bring back more of the club’s high-profile former players sooner rather than later.

Petr Cech is set to return in a technical administrative role, though no final decision will be made until his Arsenal contract expires on June 30.

There is also a long-standing desire to bring Didier Drogba back to the club in some capacity.

Should, if expected, Lampard becomes the new Blues boss, he will bring Chelsea academy graduate Jody Morris and Chris Jones — a former coach — with him from Derby.

Former midfielder Claude Makelele has also been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge after he left his job with Belgian club Eupen.

The notion of bringing Lampard (right) back to the club has gained significant support from within the Chelsea hierarchy in recent weeks — though there are obvious concerns about his lack of experience given that he has had just one season as a manager.

But the fact he has a proven track record with working with gifted young players, as he demonstrated at Derby last season, is an attractive attribute for Chelsea given the west London club are facing a transfer ban.

Indeed, Lampard is understood to have major support from within the club’s academy, who believe the former England international will give their best prospects an opportunity to shine if he is at the helm next season.

Lampard, given his ties to Chelsea, would find it virtually impossible to decline a move back to his spiritual home — though he is happy at Derby.

The expected return of Cech would likely smooth the route back to west London for Lampard, with the former team-mates close from their playing days.

Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has his admirers in the Blues boardroom — but sources in Holland think he will spend another year in Amsterdam, while former Juve boss Max Allegri has ruled himself out of the running.

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo and Watford boss Javi Gracia have also been linked — but both would likely prove extremely difficult to get out of their respective clubs.

Recently, Lampard turned up two days late for a study trip at the Toulon Tournament in France with the FA’s new intake of Pro Licence candidates, fuelling speculation he could be on his way back to Chelsea.

The 40-year-old is starting out on what will be the final stage of his UEFA coaching qualifications. When he finally arrived and joined the group in Toulon earlier this month, he was said to appear as if there were other things on his mind. All of which fuelled the theory among fellow coaches that he has been delayed by urgent meetings about his possible return to Chelsea as manager. Chelsea are keen for Gianfranco Zola — currently Sarri’s No 2 — to stay but the final decision will be left to the new boss.