Frank Lampard has revealed he tried to sign Erling Haaland while he was in charge of Chelsea.

Lampard made his approach for the Norwegian in 2019, when Haaland was forging his reputation with RB Salzburg. 

“He is an amazing player and the ultimate top level players generally can do what he does in a top level league,” said Lampard.

“I coached against him in a pre-season game when he was playing for Salzburg. I tried to sign him for Chelsea and it was not to be. 

It was clear in our pre-match preparation what this boy was. Fair play to him. We are going against him and I respect those at the top of their game.

“I watched the World Cup final with [Kylian] Mbappe and [Lionel] Messi and Haaland has got himself in that bracket at a very young age.

“[Stopping him] is a task because of his qualities and power. We are all seeing it. There is nothing but respect there. When you go against him you have to try not to give him the space he wants. He can hurt you in a moment.”

After Lampard failed to sign Haaland for Chelsea, the striker left for Borussia Dortmund the following year before joining Manchester City in the summer. He has scored 20 goals already in just 14 Premier League appearances.