Dithering Chelsea risk losing Lampard

The midfielder, who scored four goals for the first time in Chelsea's 6-1 demolition of Derby last night, wants to stay at Stamford Bridge but says no offer has yet been made.

He added: "I've been approached a few times by the club saying they are going to come to me with something and they haven't.

"That means they're saying they will have to wait until the summer and I don't really know what that means. I said at the beginning of the season I didn't want to talk about my contract because I wanted to concentrate on my football.

"They have made contact but it hasn't been with any news. They've been saying that something is going to happen but if we wait until the summer and nothing happens then I've got a year left which is not a position I want to be in.

"I've made it very clear I want to stay here and I want to know what's going on. I love playing for this club, I'm enjoying the greatest days of my career. Every time I run out for the club I don't think about the contract but when I am at home I would like it to be sorted out.

"It's dragged on this season and that's not ideal for me."

Lampard demonstrated how important he is to Chelsea with his four goals against a pitiful Derby side. It is the fourth time in his career he has scored three goals or more and is the first Chelsea player to score four in a game since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 2000.

The England star said: "It's the first time I've scored four at the top level and it feels very nice to do it, especially from midfield.

"I had a feeling before the match that I might do well. I didn't play against Barnsley at the weekend so I felt very fresh and although I missed a chance in the first few minutes, once I scored the penalty I felt that I could bomb on from midfield and get in a lot of goalscoring positions. No disrespect to Derby but you know how the season has panned out for them and they look like a team who are despondent. Credit to them, though, because they still worked hard.

"We knew this was an opportunity to get a few goals and improve our goal difference. The outcome of the title could go down to goal difference at the end of the season but we just need to win our games now."

Grant too, believes the title race could go right to the wire. "We need to continue winning and playing like we've done for most our league games and then, who knows?," said the manager.

"We will fight to the end. I've never given up and I will not start now."