Chelsea plan to loan out Ruben Loftus-Cheek and North East rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland are both interested.
Another season has gone by without Ruben Loftus-Cheek making an impact on the Chelsea first-team.
The highly-rated midfielder has been tipped to become the first Stamford Bridge academy graduate to secure a regular starting place since John Terry emerged from the youth ranks in 1998.
However, Loftus-Cheek made just six appearances as Antonio Conte’s side romped to the Premier League title last season and, with Monaco enforcer Tiemoue Bakayoko closing in on a £35 million move to London (The Sun), the 21-year-old’s first-team prospects appear under further threat.
Ruben Loftus Cheek has only made 22 Premier League appearances for Chelsea
Therefore, it’s little surprise that the Daily Mail is reporting that Chelsea will let Loftus-Cheek leave on loan in the summer. The report adds that Newcastle United, who were heavily linked in January, could renew their interest in one of the country’s most exciting young talents.
However, they may have competition from close to home. The Chronicle reports that North East neighbours Sunderland are also interested in handing the England Under-21 international more regular game time next season despite the rather obvious handicap of suffering relegation to the Championship.
The Black Cats are crying out for creativity and forward thrust in midfield and Loftus-Cheek, a 6ft 2ins midfielder with a velvet touch, would surely be a huge improvement on Simon Grayson’s current midfield options.
The Cheek of it
While Benitez is clearly a fan having targeted Loftus-Cheek for a number of months, Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey were firmly established as Newcastle’s first choice midfield pairing last season.
And it’s uncertain whether Benitez would be willing to break up that partnership to accommodate Loftus-Cheek.
At Sunderland, however, the London-born prodigy would surely be guaranteed regular starts. Premier League football may be more beneficial on paper but what is the point of Loftus-Cheek jumping from Chelsea’s bench to Newcastle’s?
Dropping down to the Championship, and becoming a key player in a side short on quality, could offer more long-term gains.
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