Chelsea Prepared to Bid for Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in January if Transfer Ban Is Lifted

​Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has identified Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as a key January target if the club's appeal against their two-window transfer ban is successful.

Unable to sign any players in the summer, Chelsea will make their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 20 November and are reportedly confident that the sanction will be reduced to one window. If they are successful then Frank Lampard would be able to add to his young and exciting squad as early as January 2020. 

The Serbian has been identified as their number one target and the Stamford Bridge hierarchy will launch a £70m bid, as reported by ​The Mirror, whether that's in January or next summer.

Only 24 years old and with more than 100 ​Serie A appearances to his name, Milinkovic-Savic
fits the profile of the youthful squad Lampard is currently building in west London. The midfielder has been key to ​Lazio's strong start to the domestic season, scoring once and providing three assists.

Chelsea are blessed with plenty of midfield options and Milinkovic-Savic's signing would only intensify the competition for places - although it's difficult to see who could drop out after the Blues' impressive form in 2019/20.

​Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have greatly improved on their maiden Premier League season's performances, Mason Mount's talent is undeniable and N'Golo Kante's return from injury could already pose a selection headache. That's without Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and their youth team's next midfield prospect Billy Gilmour.

Manchester United could provide competition for the Serbian's signature, having been linked to the Lazio midfielder for more than a year, but the lure of Champions League football would likely make Stamford Bridge a more appealing destination.