Chelsea have been handed a major blow in the race to sign Everton star Anthony Gordon following Frank Lampard's latest admission. The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer as Thomas Tuchel looked to bolster his frontline.
football.london understood that the Blues were prepared to pay as much as £60million for the winger, who was determined to leave Goodison Park. It was believed that the west Londoners had several bids rejected by the Toffees, with Todd Boehly even willing to put a few of his own players on the line in order to land Gordon's signature.
The interim sporting director seemingly wanted to do what ever it took to reach Everton's full valuation. It was said that Lampard held an interest in Michy Batshuyai, Billy Gilmour and Armando Broja, but a deal failed to materialise and any possibility of a move now looks out of sight.
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As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer admitted that Everton are now in talks with Gordon over a new contract, which comes as a major blow to the west Londoners. The England youth international's contract is set to expire in 2025 after penning an extension in September 2020.
"The club are speaking with Anthony and Anthony’s people to see if we can get the right solution," Lampard said. While this, as aforementioned, comes as a huge setback for Boehly, the west Londoners are now under new management.
Since Chelsea's interest in Gordon first emerged, Graham Potter has replaced Tuchel at the helm. Though it is yet to be seen, this could trigger a major shift in the club's transfer plans and therefore determine the future of the Everton youngster.
However, should a move be on the cards in January, Lampard has already said they he can't hold Gordon back from leaving. Speaking to the press last month, the former Blues midfielder said: "You can’t ask me to assure anything - that would be naïve of me to assure anything,” he said.
"Selling players, just as it is with bringing players in, it has to be a joined up say so. When you’re talking about the level of player Anthony is and the value of player, we know what those kind of players go for.
"It’s a serious situation on a football and a club business level, simple as that. If you can join those two up and make the right decision… the football one is the most important to me, because that is what I’m judged on. But we know his value, and that he’ll be here at the end of the window - who knows. I don’t want to get into hypotheticals."
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