Blues winger Gael Kakuta is thought to be considering a loan move to the Ligue 1 Champions Lille, a move that is being backed the French national Under-20 team coach.
The young star has many admirers but it is thought that a return to home town team is the most likely move.
Since making his controversial transfer from Lens to Stamford Bridge in 2009, Kakuta has only made the starting line-up once and featured in a further five league games after coming on from the bench. His loan move to Fulham last season did see him score, but once again he was limited to just two starts.
With Andre Villas-Boas’ much publicized hunt for for a new winger is a key sign that Kakuta’s first-team opportunities this season will once again be limited at Stamford Bridge.
France coach Francis Smerecki has urged Kakuta to move or risk hindering his development as he told Le Voix du Nord: “When you’re 20, you have to go somewhere where you can play 25 games as a starter. Otherwise, progress is not made.”
He is a player with an excellent future, but needs a full season of playing first-team football. His move to Fulham last season showed that he is not ready for Premier League football.
By Scott Balaam
Twitter @shed11