Chelsea became annoyed with recently sacked manager Frank Lampard because he wanted the club to re-sign West Ham star Declan Rice, according to The Athletic.
Lampard was sacked by the club this week after a poor run of form, which left them in ninth position in the league. Despite his recent sacking, the former England star has already been linked with Celtic, who are expected to part ways with Neil Lennon in the near future.
After breaking into the Hammers first-team in 2015, Rice has gone on to establish himself as a crucial component of the starting line-up and is now regarded as one of the best young defensive midfielders in Europe.
The 22-year-old is an important part of the England team and also captains West Ham in the absence of long-serving skipper Mark Noble.
Rice has been linked with a plethora of clubs, including boyhood club Chelsea whom he played for at a youth level for eight years before being released in 2014.
The report added that some board members at Chelsea were embarrassed by the prospect of re-signing Rice, as it would recognise a mistake was made in letting him go seven years ago.
