Former Liverpool target Timo Werner has said that Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has told him that the Blues are aiming to challenge the Reds and Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.

The Merseyside club finished 33 points ahead of Chelsea last campaign but despite interest from the English champions, Werner eventually decided to move to Stamford Bridge, and the German says ambitions have been set very high:

“He’s been great to work with and he’s been discussing his plans for the future, and how we want to battle with teams like Man City and Liverpool. I think Chelsea is a big club and with this team that we have, I think we can reach a new level. We have some very good players here and the manager is there to show us the way, and help us improve. We’ve worked a lot on tactical things, as well as our strength and fitness, to make sure we are ready for the start of the season.”

The Blues have certainly gone all out with their transfer spending this summer, and they are expected to make a sixth signing very shortly with the arrival of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.

Even so, bedding in so many players at once and expecting them to gel straight away and compete for trophies is a huge task for Lampard. While Chelsea will certainly be a threat to Liverpool due to the strength of their squad, there is no guarantee they’ll be able to sustain a title challenge throughout the campaign.