This summer, Chelsea might need to say goodbye to a few players if they want to bring in fresh faces. Since the change in ownership, the club have invested heavily in signing the best young talent from all over world football. Such moves have worked out in some cases, like Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. But then, there are plenty of instances when it has not.
Quickly moving on from such players appears to be part of the transfer strategy as well. And it looks like one such midfielder could be heading for the exit door this summer.
The midfield is probably Chelsea's strongest point with plenty of quality talent across all three positions. And Lesley Ugochukwu is someone who has never really found his feet at Stamford Bridge.
Signed from Rennes for a transfer fee in the region of £23 million, Ugochukwu has spent most of his time out on loan. Now, his time at Stamford Bridge might be heading towards its end, if the club have their way.
Chelsea want midfielder to leave because of FIFA rule
As reported by BBC Sport, Chelsea currently have a preference to transfer Ugochukwu, especially if they can attract a substantial bidder. The Blues are cautious about overseas loans as FIFA limits all clubs to just six such loans outside of their domestic divisions. As a result, a permanent departure is preferred, and a domestic loan is the second preference.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea are able to attract substantial offers to sign the French midfielder. He had spent the previous season out on loan at Southampton.
It is hard to imagine that a club will go out and offer anything close to the £23 million that Chelsea paid to sign Ugochukwu from Rennes. But a decent loan spell might help the Blues in that regard.