EPL: Lampard was ready to sell five Chelsea players before sack

Sacked Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, was ready to sell five players in order to fund a move for West Ham's Declan Rice, according to the UK Telegraph.

They are Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, who was wanted by Arsenal, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However, he was sacked on Monday, following a poor run of form, which saw the Blues lose five out of their last eight Premier League games.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Lampard clashed with the club's hierarchy over several key transfer targets.

It is understood the 42-year-old proposed potential signings which were rebuffed by the board.

However, his insistence on signing Declan Rice, who was released by Chelsea at the age of 14 and has now thrived at West Ham, annoyed some members of the club's hierarchy.

Lampard was so determined to bring Rice back to Chelsea that he was willing to approve the sales of five first-team players in order to meet West Ham's £80million valuation.