Chelsea soccer star Frank Lampard is poised to follow former teammates Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka with a lucrative move to China, after Guizhou Renhe confirmed on Monday they were in talks with him.
The England international midfielder has been linked since March with a move to the Chinese Super League.
But speculation intensified after Renhe chairman Dai Yongge was quoted in mainland media at the weekend as saying that Lampard had signed.
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo played down the reports after his side’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday. But a Renhe official confirmed that talks with Lampard were under way.
“Yes, we are in contact with Lampard but so far nothing has been settled,” said deputy board chairman Yang Xiaoyu.
Dai was quoted by the state-run China Daily as saying Lampard would join Renhe as captain in January.
A winter arrival would give the 34-year-old time to settle in before the next year-14 Chinese Super League season begins in March.