Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will be given up to £200m to spend this summer, with the German coach keen on signing at least three players with his transfer budget.
He guided Chelsea to Champions League success on Saturday with a 1-0 victory against Manchester City in the final in Porto and in doing so triggered a contract extension clause in his deal.
Chelsea spent around £220m under Lampard last summer, which was in part to make up for the fact that the blues legend had been operating under a transfer ban since his appointment from Derby.
But Abramovich now sees a chance to capitalise on the club’s success and Tuchel believes he needs at least two or three first team players to challenge for the Premier League title next campaign.
According to the Telegraph, Romelu Lukaku is a target and Chelsea hope to take advantage of Inter Milan’s current financial situation to sign the Belgian star.
Lukaku joined the Serie A club for £74m in 2019 from Manchester United but his stock has risen significantly in the past two years in Italy.
Tuchel is also keen to sign a midfielder, with the German interested in West Ham ace Rice. The Engalnd international, though, is valued at around £100m and his club would prefer not to sell to their London rivals.
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Tuchel also wants competition for Reece James at right-wing back and feels Wolves winger Adam Traore is perfect for the role.
It’s unclear how much Wolves would demand for the player but Borussia Monchengladbach’s Jonas Hofmann is an alternative should Wolves’ asking price proved too high for the London side.
Asked about the club’s transfer plans, Tuchel said: ‘Two or three [signings] could be very, very good.
‘It’s a constant thing to never deny change. That you always bring new energy, new guys who question the old beliefs, who challenge everybody in the training and in matches, so I think it’s a good thing.
‘We don’t need another seven and another complete turnover because it’s also our job to keep on improving, because we have still a young squad and it’s not about stealing from them the chance to prove it again that they are capable of growing and evolving.
‘But we have some ideas, of course, to make the group stronger and I think this can always be a positive thing to challenge all of us.’
