Crystal Palace reportedly want to bring back Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Premier League rivals Chelsea in the January transfer window.
After a brief spell in the first-team, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has slipped out of Chelsea’s squad again in recent weeks.
The 22-year-old academy graduate scored four goals in the space of two games against BATE Borisov and Burnley at the end of October but was absent from the match-day squad for the Blues’ last two Premier League games, against Everton and Tottenham respectively.
As a result, the Mirror reports that Crystal Palace are hoping to take advantage and bring Loftus-Cheek back to Selhurst Park on loan for the second half of the season.
The talented midfielder spent the 2017/18 campaign at Palace and proved a major hit under Roy Hodgson, even forcing his way into England’s World Cup squad.
And, speaking to Football London, Hodgson’s long-serving assistant Ray Lewington has raved about Loftus-Cheek with the transfer window set to swing open in just four weeks.
“There are some good players at this club, and unfortunately we lost an absolute superstar in Ruben Loftus-Cheek,” Lewington said. “He is one of the best players I have ever worked with.
“By the end of it, he was a world class player by the time he finished with us.”
With Palace struggling at the bottom end of the Premier League, and lacking a player of Loftus-Cheek’s dynamism and creativity in central midfield, the youngster would be welcomed back with open arms if Chelsea are willing to let him go again.
The Mirror adds that Bundesliga outfit Schalke are set to rival the Eagles for Loftus-Cheek’s signature.
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