Frank Lampard has rubbished suggestions Mason Mount is unhappy about Chelsea's £70million signing of Kai Havertz.
It was reported in Germany that Mount is unhappy about the increased competition at Stamford Bridge following the arrivals of Havertz and Hakim Ziyech.
But Lampard said: “I saw the story about Mason Mount. It was absolutely fabricated.”
The new signings at Chelsea do represent a challenge for academy graduates Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James.
But Lampard has told them it is part and parcel of being at a club like Chelsea and wants them to embrace it.
Lampard said: “The way football is at a club like Chelsea, if you are a young player who has got a foot in and then the club brings in players around you that raise levels, the players should and hopefully will raise their levels and everybody improves.
“I will be fair when I pick the team. I do not pick the team on whether you came through the academy or not, I pick the team on how I think it should be picked on how they train and how we have been performing.”
Lampard refused to be drawn on talks over a deal to sign Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, which would take Chelsea's summer spending to around £250m.
He said Tomori is in contention to face Brighton on Monday, despite strong interest from Everton in a loan move for the defender.
Lampard said: "Fikayo trained with us on Thursday and is in contention for the Brighton game. There is nothing specific that I want him to improve. I just want him to show the work ethic he showed me at Derby and for major parts of last season.
“He knows, and I hope every player knows, that at that point I am fair about how I pick the team. With our centre-backs, it is up to them to try and make the place their own. And they are just the roles at a club like Chelsea.”