Chelsea have announced Ruben Loftus-Cheek has put pen to paper on a new long-term deal worth up to £150,000-a-week.
Loftus-Cheek’s had entered the last two years of his previous £60,000-a-week deal and Chelsea wanted to avoid another situation like they are experiencing with Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Hudson-Odoi has entered the final 12 months of his current deal and is on course to leave the club for nothing next summer.
Loftus-Cheek has endured a frustrating career for boyhood club Chelsea but finally emerged as an important first-team player last season.
The 23-year-old is currently injured for the foreseeable future after rupturing his Achilles in May but is expected to play a big part in Frank Lampard’s plans as Chelsea manager.
Lampard is keen to improve the pathway from Chelsea’s academy to the first-team and his arrival is also expected to improve their chances of securing Hudson-Odoi’s long-term future.
Loftus-Cheek made 24 league appearances for Chelsea last season and played a direct hand in eight goals despite the fact only six of those were starts.
The England international scored or assisted seven goals in 11 Europa League appearances and was influential in the club’s success in that competition.
Furthermore, only former team-mate Eden Hazard (4.5) averaged more dribbles per game than Loftus-Cheek (3.6) in last season’s Europa League.
