Crystal Palace are on the cusp on signing young Chelsea centre-back Marc Guehi on a permanent transfer.
The 21-year-old enjoyed an outstanding season on loan with Swansea City in the Championship last year, making 40 appearances and leading the Swans to the play-off final, where they fell short against Brentford.
Some fans had been keen to see Geuhi given a shot in Thomas Tuchel's first team, but that's not going to happen as The Athletic note that Chelsea are on the verge of selling him to Palace permanently.
Chelsea are expected to earn between £15m and £20m by selling the defender, but crucially the Blues have protected themselves by negotiating both a sell-on clause and the ability to match any future bid for the defender.
The Blues are well aware that Guehi has the potential to become something special, but with his contract entering its final two years, the decision has been made to cash in on the youngster while his value remains high.
With Chelsea readying a bid of around £150m for Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, the chance to make a substantial fee on an academy player was too good to turn down. They rejected the chance to loan Guehi out again when it became clear Palace were prepared to pay up.
Guehi could even be followed to Selhurst Park by Chelsea teammate Conor Gallagher, who is available for loan after impressing with West Bromwich Albion last season.
Gallagher, who has four years left on his contract, managed 32 appearances for the Baggies last season and is seen by many as a potential star of the future, and Chelsea are not prepared to let him go just yet.
Away from the youngsters, Chelsea have a handful of senior loanees whose futures need sorting out before the season begins.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley are some of the biggest names facing uncertain futures, with Chelsea keeping all their options open as they prepare themselves for what could be a blockbuster move for Haaland.
Source : 90min