Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea youngster set to depart this summer as Rangers eye up bargain deal for prospect

Ben Stewart
18th April 2023; Bet365 Stadium, Stoke, Staffordshire, England; EFL Championship Football, Stoke City versus Wigan Athletic; Dujon Sterling of Stoke City under pressure from Will Keane of Wigan Athletic

A Chelsea youngster is set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer as Rangers are now closing in on a move for the Premier League prospect.

Given Chelsea’s bloated squad, plenty of players are expected to leave the club this summer. With Todd Boehly eager to make more signings, they must first cut down on their squad.

In the Premier League alone, Chelsea have used 32 players. When you then consider all of Chelsea’s youngsters out on loan, you realise just how big their squad currently is.

Dujon Sterling has spent the last four seasons out on loan and he is now set to join Rangers. The Daily Mail have reported that he has already undergone part of his medical with the Scottish club.

Plenty of clubs were reportedly interested in the 23-year-old, but Rangers manager Michael Beale managed to seal the deal.

Beale previously worked with Sterling while he was a youth coach at Chelsea and his track record with developing youngsters will have come into play here.

The defender only ever made two first-team appearances for Chelsea, but he showcased his potential while out on loan.

His first loan spell with Coventry City was a success as he made 40 appearances during their 2018-19 campaign in League One.

He has then spent time with Wigan, Blackpool and Stoke in the Championship and has built up his footballing CV.

“Dujon, for me, is arguably one of the best one-on-one defenders I’ve seen,” Stoke manager Alex Neil told Lancashire Live in October. “There are very few players who get past him – he is strong, powerful and determined.”

Chelsea can expect other exits

Along with Sterling, Chelsea are preparing to clear out plenty of the deadwood in the current playing squad.

With no European football next season, Chelsea will have fewer games to manage and a more relaxed fixture list.

While some players will already be considering their exit strategy, N’Golo Kante has reaffirmed his commitment to stay at the club.

The French midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

Kante himself wants to be a part of the Chelsea project going forward and could soon pen a fresh deal with the club.

“I want to be part of Chelsea future, for sure. It’s an exciting project,” the 32-year-old explained.

“Unfortunately this season was not at Chelsea’s level but we want to go the way of success. Let’s see where I will be, but I hope here.”

Kante has been hampered by injuries this season and has only started in six league matches after missing the first half of the campaign.

Despite his injury-prone nature, Kante is still a world-class player when fully fit. Across all competitions, he has played 685 minutes of football this year.

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