Lampard's foreign dream; Mourinho's Deco desire

The most interesting piece of gossip to land in front of my eyes was the vague reports of a potential Barcelona-Chelsea swap deal, involving Frank Lampard and Deco.

Lampard has fell under a train of scrutiny for a string of poor performances at the World Cup after scoring freely for Chelsea throughout the 2005/6 season, and critics have continued their arguments in the embryonic stages of the latest Premiership campaign.

However, Barcelona will take very little notice of a short-term form loss, and Lampard has previously stated his desire to play in Spain - his partner is a Spaniard, and, apparently, their firstborn has been kitted out in Barcelona uniform.

He appears to be the kind of player who will be unfazed by a change of surroundings - Lampard has a naturally confident outlook while never affected by the media's consistent ramblings. Settling into the Spanish lifestyle and Barcelona squad will not be a problem, and one would expect him to be up the high standards of the European champions.

Frank Rijkaard has employed squad rotation to deal with the vast amount of quality he has at his disposal, and so far has managed to keep the majority of his squad content. This is a team still on top of La Liga in the face of losing at Real Madrid on Sunday but not as unbeatable as some believe. Perhaps Lampard can boost other ailing players and add something a little different.

Meanwhile, would Jose Mourinho accept a straight swap in return for Deco? He has long admired the Brazilian-born Portuguese international since coaching him at Porto. But Deco rejected Chelsea for Barca when on the move, seemingly ending any possible chance of a move to the English champions.

It is highly unlikely a 'straight' switch will be the answer, with the purchase of the individual players likely to be favoured, potentially at different times. The public word is that neither is for sale, and it will be hard to change that stance unless situations alter and large sums of money are being negotiated.

Deco was extremely quiet in the defeat in Madrid on Sunday, yet remains a superb talent who also contributes with goals, some of which have the ability to astound you.

It is another Chelsea midfielder who looks more likely to make the move across the continent - Shaun Wright-Phillips is lining up a move to Atletico Madrid, likely to be on-loan at first, in order to build-up first team appearances and regain his shattered confidence levels. Madrid's secondary team are in desperate need of midfielders following the long-term injuries to Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Petrov.

It is a strange move considering Wright-Phillips would have to uproot his family and make a new home in a fresh country, with no guarantee of a regular starting berth or indeed success. Conversely, to Lampard's character, the ex-Manchester City player is someone who may need security and surely another big change is a huge risk.