Now, the club are going full throttle, with reports linking them with Bayer Leverkusen's attacking midfielder Kai Havertz, Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell and defensive midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham United.
But the 21-year-old will not come cheap, with reports suggesting the Blues, backed by Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, will need to fork out more than £90m. That lack of activity has left the club with plenty of cash to spend this time around and they are looking to outdo their rivals who are feeling the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rice is also high on the agenda, with transfer guru Ian McGarry saying that Lampard wants the highly coveted 21-year-old to be a"vocal presence" in central defence.