Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on Thursday welcomed speculation linking former manager Jose Mourinho with a return to Stamford Bridge and said it would be a positive move for the club.

Lampard was one of Mourinho's key players during the Portuguese coach's three-year spell at Chelsea, which came to an abrupt end in September 2007 when the manager left the club.

With Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez due to leave at the end of the season, Mourinho has been strongly linked with a return from Real Madrid, and Lampard says he would welcome the sight of his old mentor back at the club.