Maurizio Sarri has opted to keep Ruben Loftus-Cheek at Chelsea this season and the midfielder will not be allowed to leave on loan, instead Danny Drinkwater is set to be offloaded according to reports.
The England international, who cut short his post World Cup holiday to try and impress his new manager, has been linked with a move overseas – where the transfer window is still open until the end of August.
However, The Telegraph report that Chelsea are keen to give Loftus-Cheek the opportunity to force his way into Sarri’s first-team plans.
The 22-year-old, who would have been more open to a domestic loan, has already rejected an offer from Bundesliga side Schalke in order to fight for his place at Chelsea.
Tiemoue Bakayoko’s move to AC Milan has eased some of the competition in midfield at Stamford Bridge, though Loftus-Cheek will still need to battle the likes of Jorginho, Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barley.
Speaking about Loftus-Cheek before the start of the season, Sarri said:
‘He’s potentially a great player.
‘He has to improve from a tactical point of view but I think it’s not a problem. He is very young, he can be a very useful player for us.’
Loftus-Cheek came on as a substitute against Huddersfield in Chelsea’s Premier League opener, replacing Barkley, though will be desperate to claim a place in the starting XI.
Meanwhile, despite impressing in pre-season, both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu will continue to feature for Chelsea’s development squad.