Mourinho eyes shock Lampard move

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is set to offer Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard a lifeline at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 33-year-old's future at Stamford Bridge is looking bleak after falling down the pecking orders in Andre Villas-Boas' squad this season.

Lampard was left on the bench for the Blues' crucial Champions League clash against Valencia last week as they went on to notch an impressive 3-0 win and qualify for the knock-out round.

Now according to The Sun newspaper, Mourinho is planning a sensational swap deal to reunite with his player.

The former Chelsea boss hopes to use midfielder Esteban Granero as a bait to prise Lampard from the Bridge.

Granero, 24, is believed to be valued at £6million and has been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

This would not be the first time Mourinho tried to sign Lampard.

The Portuguese first attempted to capture the England international during his tenure at Inter Milan before trying again at Madrid last year.

On both occasions Lampard remained loyal to Chelsea but it is unlikely he will reject a move to the Bernabeu this time around.

Lampard joined the Blues in 2001 and has played over 500 games for the club.

PATO TO CHELSEA THIS JANUARY

CHELSEA boss Andre Villas-Boas can sign either Pato or Robinho from AC Milan if the Italian giants sign Man City’s Carlos Tevez.

CHELSEA will be given the chance to sign either Pato or Robinho from AC Milan if the Italian club land Carlos Tevez.

AC have let it be known that one of the Brazilian superstars will have to go if Tevez finally arrives at the San Siro from Manchester City next month.

And both of them have been targets in the past for Chelsea, who will lose a striker when the transfer-listed Nicolas Anelka is offloaded.

There are also doubts about the futures of another two Chelsea forwards – Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou.

The Daily Star Sunday can reveal that top Premier League clubs are aware of the situation with Pato, 22, and former Manchester City record-signing Robinho, 27.

Pato (below left) would be by far the more-expensive signing, as AC value him at £40million.

But Robinho (below right) who interests mega-rich Paris St-Germain, was sold by City to Milan 15 months ago for £15m – after arriving for £32.5m.

The Tevez situation remains deadlocked – Milan want him on loan while City are after a permanent deal. But that could change if Milan bring in big money through selling Pato or Robinho.

The AWOL Tevez has also been linked with PSG, Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli.

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s highly-rated defensive midfielder Cheick Tiote is close to securing a £20m move to Chelsea.

Representatives of the Ivory Coast star who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, met with Blues officials last Friday to thrash out a deal.

One stumbling block has been exactly when the midfielder – who Andre Villas-Boas sees as the natural replacement for former Stamford Bridge favourite Claude Makélelé – signs for the club.

With Chelsea leaking goals there is an immediate desire to convince Tiote, who cost Newcastle £3.5m in August 2010, to put pen to paper now and move from the North East in the January transfer window.

In addition, Villas-Boas faces stiff competition from ­Manchester United for Tiote’s signature. But with fellow Ivory Coast internationals Drogba and Kalou at the club, he is thought to favour a move to the capital.

THE BEST OF MAHARAJA LAWAK MEGA SO FAR

ROMEU THE NEW MAKELE

Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu has expressed his happiness at Stamford Bridge, moving from Barcelona in the summer with hopes for a more regular playtime on the pitch. The Spaniard has started for the recent couple of games against Newcastle and Valencia and is impressed with England's style of football. "I came because there was more chance of playing and to be playing in games of this magnitude, against Valencia and against Manchester City, is a marvel," Romeu said in the Daily Express. "I love playing generally, but it is even more enjoyable when it is in important games. I really like the style here. I liked watching it on TV before and I like it even more now, playing in it. It is a different kind of football - more physical, with more contact and quicker." Romeu does not take his recent spot in the starting XI for granted, knowing that he has to stay on top of his form if he wants to continue playing. "I don't feel I'm an automatic choice in my position, no, not at all," he said. "There are three, four or five players who can play there. The only thing all of us can do is maintain our level if we want to play. It is a continual evolution and all of us can play at this point in time."