Lamps wants to join us - Inter director

New Inter coach Jose Mourinho, Lampard's former boss at Stamford Bridge, has made no secret of the fact he would like the England international in his squad, but Lampard is under contract with the west London club for another year and Chelsea are adamant they will not sell him.

"We have done everything that was in our means. We cannot certainly take him away from Chelsea by force," Oriali told Mediaset TV. "What is certain right now is that the player wants strongly to come to Inter."

Lampard's possible move to Italy has been a major talking point in the country of late, but former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola acknowledges the deal will not go ahead unless the Premier League side have a change of heart.

He said: "If Chelsea have in their minds not to give way, Inter have no chance of signing Lampard, regardless of the player's wish."

Meanwhile, Mourinho was full of praise for the England star during his interview with Ford's FeelFootball.com.

"Frank Lampard is a different kind of person, not so extroverted," Mourinho said. "He's the best professional I've ever worked with. He's the player who trains better, has more concentration, more commitment and is always focused on himself.

"He is never happy about his performance, always wants to improve, and always wants to learn.

"Lampard is incredibly professional. God gave players the talent, and some of them waste this. But some others make themselves better and these are the kind of the players who can last forever."

Lampard has one year left on his contract and could invoke FIFA's Article 17 and buy himself out of the club. But that is likely to cause a major conflict with Chelsea, who expect him to honour the remaining 12 months of his deal if he refuses to sign the extension offer currently on the table.