8.30am Chelsea news LIVE: De Gea transfer ‘nibble’, Abraham return date, Kante ‘set to stay’, Loftus-Cheek UPDATE – The Sun

CHELSEA are preparing for the visit of Liverpool as Frank Lampard looks to keep what is effectively their last hope of a trophy this season alive.

The Blues remain in the Champions League, but have a huge mountain to climb if they want to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Bayern Munich.

Follow all the latest updates from the Bridge below…

• DECISION DAY

  Chelsea target Dayot Upamecano says he will not decide on his future until the end of the season.

  Arsenal reportedly lead the £52m race for the RB Leipzig star.

  However, the French defender was quoted by Football.London as saying: “I feel very comfortable in Leipzig. I love my teammates, the staff and my club.

  “At the moment I am still under contract until 2021. It is my duty to continue to train well and play my games.

  “Even if I know that there are clubs that want me, I stay on the ground with both feet, that's for sure.

  “We will discuss my future with my advisors and my family at the end of the season.

  “Naturally [I am honoured to be linked to clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Arsenal].

  “But as I said, I'm in Leipzig and I want to achieve my goals with the club.

  “I don't feel like talking about anything else right now. I want to end the season with Leipzig in the best possible way and nothing else.”

• GEA WE GO

  Chelsea have been tipped to make a shock bid for David De Gea.

  With the Spaniard struggling at Man Utd following a mistake yesterday at Everton, Dean Henderson is tipped to put pile the pressure on for a starting berth next season.

  And Graeme Souness says it is very unlikely that De Gea will ever be happy being consigned to the bench.

  He told Sky Sports: “I’m a big fan of [Manchester United loanee] Dean Henderson who is impressing at Sheffield United.

  “I remember he made a mistake against Liverpool earlier in the season and his manager wasn’t kind to him but he appears to have learnt from that.

  “He appears to have a big personality.

  “De Gea I would imagine would be one of the best-paid players at United.

  “Could you have him sitting on the bench on whatever he’s earning and not causing problems?

  “Would there be takers for him? You look at the situation at Chelsea and they might make a nibble for him.

  “It’s a big decision for Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] to make and that’s what he’s paid for. It’s a big, big call.”

  Chelsea have their own Iberian problems between the sticks, with Frank Lampard dropping £71m buy Kepa and reportedly hoping to ship him out in the summer.

• MORNING BLUES FANS

  Chelsea are preparing to welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge tomorrow night in the FA Cup.

  Frank Lampard insists he will not rotate his side too much for the visit of Jurgen Klopp’s champions-elect.

  That’s despite only managing a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at the weekend.

  Chelsea needed two goals from Marcos Alonso to secure a point against the Cherries on the south coast.

  And Lampard will be hoping the goals come from other areas when Liverpool come to the capital.

  But finishing in the top four remains Chelsea’s priority.

  They are three points ahead of Man Utd, who drew 1-1 with Everton on Sunday.

  And Leicester’s defeat to Norwich means Brendan Rodgers’ side are just five points ahead in third.

  Meanwhile, Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Dries Mertens.

  Lampard was desperate to bring the Napoli striker to London in January.

  But Mertens opted to stay put, leading to reports that he would instead join Chelsea at the end of the season on a free transfer.

  However, reports in Italy claim Mertens is close to signing a new Napoli contract.

  And that would leave Chelsea empty-handed.

• LIKE IT OR LAMP IT

  Frank Lampard claims he will not rotate his Chelsea side for Tuesday’s FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

  When asked if he would rotate or cement this team to get the better of Jurgen Klopp’s table-toppers the young gaffer insisted: “Cement and go for victory.

  “It’s Liverpool. Our fans want us to overturn the best team in the land.

  “It doesn’t mean I don’t change a couple of people, bring in fresh legs or a couple of different options but I won’t pick a team casually just to be giving minutes.

  “I will be treating it with the care I would give a Premier League game.”

• TAMMY RETURN UNCLEAR

  Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has revealed that he is unsure of when England striker Tammy Abaraham will return.

  The attacker suffered an injury to his ankle which has led to him meeting a specialist in the bid to return to action before the end of the season.

  Abraham's injury came against Arsenal in late January.

  Lampard still had “no update” on the injured star after the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

  The injury is also a cause for concern for England boss Gareth Southgate, as his attacking options are becoming increasingly limited ahead of Euro 2020.

  Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford AND Tammy Abraham are all touch-and-go for returns before the end of the season.

  The lack of clarity leaves Chelsea without their top goalscorer.

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