Chelsea have reportedly identified Southampton as the perfect club for one of their midfielders.
The Blues have continued to splurge money on a wide array of players during the summer transfer window, nine of whom have been acquired with this season in mind.
Some of the players in question will compete for a first-team place, while others are loaned out to clubs either on the domestic front or abroad.
With Chelsea having already loaned Caleb Wiley and Andrey Santos to Strasbourg, only four foreign loan slots remain for the remaining two-and-a-half weeks of the market.
As a result, finding suitable Premier League teams for some of their prospects and fringe members have become an increasingly important task for the club's recruitment team.
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Southampton viewed as perfect fit
Premier League are only able to complete two loans from clubs competing in the same division, a regulation that further hinders Chelsea's attempts on that front.
Nevertheless, according to The Athletic, the West Londoners are in advanced talks with Southampton regarding the temporary departure of Lesley Ugochukwu.
The report suggests that Russell Martin's style of play at last season's Championship playoff winners is regarded as ideal for the Frenchman's development.
Chelsea are said to have no interest in selling the 20-year-old, who they feel will eventually become a key member of the senior ranks.
Several teams are said to be have been informed that there was no possibility of the former Rennes player being acquired on a permanent deal.
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Would Maresca have preferred to keep Ugochukwu?
Across pre-season, Ugochukwu has never been used for longer than 45 minutes in a single friendly, yet missed just one of Chelsea's six matches.
Notably, he twice netted late equalisers to earn draws with Wrexham and Inter Milan, even though getting on the scoresheet is certainly not his forte.
From a development perspective, though, the France Under-21 international was limited to just 467 minutes of action across all competitions during 2023-24 courtesy of a hamstring injury.
Should a loan switch to St Mary's be finalised, Chelsea will still be well stocked for central midfielders in Moise Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka.
The likes of Conor Gallagher and Cesare Casadei are expected to depart Stamford Bridge in due course.
Darren Plant
