Frank Lampard is set to move back to the Premier League for a loan stint with champions Manchester City, it has been claimed.


According to reports from The Daily Mail, Lampard - who left Chelsea earlier this summer following the expiration of his contract at Stamford Bridge and subsequently joined New York City FC - is prepared to return to England for a six-month spell at the Eithad Stadium.

Given that his new team do not enter Major League Soccer until the 2015 campaign, Lampard - along with fellow new recruit David Villa - will need to keep up his fitness with a temporary move overseas. But while Villa is expected to head to Australia to represent Melbourne Heart, it appears that Lampard is seeking the familiar surroundings of the English top-flight once again.

Surprise?
Practically speaking, such a move does not come as too much of a shock when you consider that New York City are a franchise part-owned by the Citizens. However, what does make this move somewhat of a surprise is Lampard's undeniable status as a Chelsea legend.

With the 36-year-old having recently admitted that he rejected advances from Queens Park Rangers recently out of an apparent sense of loyalty to the Blues, to see him on the verge of a transfer to arguably the club's main title rival is very strange indeed and it will be intriguing to witness the reaction of the bulk of Chelsea's fanbase as a result.

Jose Mourinho has already moved on from the departure of Lampard, of course, with his exit from West London swiftly compensated for by the arrival of former Arsenal captain and Spanish international Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona.