Chelsea look set for a fight to keep a hold of young midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah with the 22-year-old defensive midfielder ready to leave the club in search of first team football, according to the Independent.
The newspaper claim on their website that the England U21 international is concerned about the lack of first team chances with Tiemoue Bakayoko said to be on the verge of signing for the Blues in a £35million deal.
Both the Monaco man and Chalobah are 22-years-old and play in a similar role and, with Cesc Fabregas also in the running for a role in Antonio Conte’s starting XI, the youngster is set to discuss with the club his doubts about the opportunities he will get next season.
His contract is set to expire next summer, and Chelsea could find themselves losing one of their brightest academy prospects of recent years for nothing, but may find it difficult to negotiate a new deal without the promise of first team action.
Former Newcastle boss John Carver urged the Magpies to make a loan move for both Chalobah and his team mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer, but there is likely to be a lot of top flight competition for his signing if he does decide to depart Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old turned out 15 times for the Blues last season, 10 of which were starts, while the season previous he made just nine appearances during a loan spell at Napoli.
His last run in a first team was during the 2013/14 season during a loan spell at Championship side Middlesbrough, making 19 appearances, the majority of which were in the starting line up.