Chelsea midfielder to discuss future with eye on August exit

Ruben Loftus-Cheek will hold crunch talks with Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri before deciding whether to leave the club this month, claims The Sun.

The England international spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace and worked his way into Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2018 World Cup.

Palace failed to re-sign Loftus-Cheek during the summer but there is still a chance he could leave Chelsea on loan this month.

The 22-year-old is willing to fight for his place at Chelsea but wants to hear from Sarri whether there will be first-team opportunities for him this season.

Loftus-Cheek doesn’t want to spend another season at Chelsea on the bench and has only managed 22 minutes of playing time during their opening two league games.

Chelsea signed Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic over the summer to further complicate matters for Lotus-Cheek.

Loftus-Cheek made four appearances for England at the 2018 World Cup, including three starts, and provided one assist in that time, albeit a fortunate one.

He played a direct hand in five goals in 24 appearances for Palace last season, garnering a WhoScored rating of 7.08 in the process.