Newly promoted Southampton are in talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu on loan, BBC Sport reports.
Ugochukwu is highly rated at Stamford Bridge and had an impressive pre-season campaign in which he scored against Inter Milan and Wrexham.
But Chelsea have an oversized squad and believe Ugochukwu’s development is best served on loan in the Premier League.
Ugochukwu joined Chelsea last season in a £23.2million deal from French Ligue 1 club Rennes but played just 15 times in an injury-hit campaign.
Southampton would have to complete the signing of Ugochukwu before 12:00 BST on Friday to include him in their matchday squad for their opening Premier League fixture at Newcastle on Saturday.
1 Comment
Lesley Ugochukwu would be a great addition to Southampton’s midfield if the deal sails through.
He’s a technically gifted player with a lot of midfield qualities, which also includes defensive end attacking qualities. A towering box-to-box midfielder with imposing aerial dominance.
Given the plethora of options in Chelsea’s middle, he should fancy his chances with the newly promoted side who offers more playing time with a huge opportunity to build his career confidence, too.