Chelsea caretaker boss Frank Lampard admits losing Mason Mount this summer will be a blow to the club's academy staff.

Mount is being linked with a £55m move to tonight's opponents Manchester United.

Lampard said, "It's a hard one for me to comment on because I'm not inside Mason's head and from the club's point of view my role is clearly what it is,' said Lampard, who takes his side to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday.

"In the practical sense it's completely between both sides on that front. I'm not surprised because this is football. Does everyone know that I really like Mason Mount as a lad and as a football player? Yes, sure, of course they do.

"I wish him the best personally and sitting here with my Chelsea top on now, I've seen what Mason has delivered at this club. But we'll see.

"I think, to be fair to this club in the last few years particularly we've seen the hard work of the academy for a long, long time, people like (academy head) Neil Bath and (head of youth development) Jim Fraser.

"(Players) have come through and been very good and now it's delivered in terms of people that are affecting the team, or have been sold on for big money.

"That's been a real positive so I think it's important we try and keep that feeling that younger players can see a pathway to get into the Chelsea team and play for the team they will grow to love, which is Mason, which is Reece James etc.

"Of course in an ideal world those players stay with the club, but again in modern football it isn't always that clear."