Chelsea starlet Nathaniel Chalobah poised to join Bordeaux on loan

Bordeaux manager Willy Sagnol has confirmed the club are in talks to sign Chelsea starlet Nathaniel Chalobah on loan.

The 20-year-old midfielder spent the first half of the season on loan at Burnley but after failing to impose himself on the first team at Turf Moor, returned to Stamford Bridge in the New Year.

In recent days, Bordeaux (currently sat in sixth place in Ligue 1) has emerged as a surprise destination for Chalobah, and Sagnol has told reporters at a press conference on Friday that a deal could be confirmed by the weekend.

Chalobah is yet to play a game for Chelsea having had three spells on loan away at the club at Watford, Nottingham Forest, and Middlesbrough before joining Burnley at the start of the season.

He played for a total of just 150 minutes across five appearances for the Clarets during the first half of the 2014/15 season and was warmly praised by Sean Dyche, despite a lack of impact on the pitch.

"Nathaniel will go back to Chelsea and we thank him for his efforts in his time with us," said Dyche.

"We hope he has developed here, albeit not on the pitch as much as he would have liked. He has, however, been an active part of the group and has been a credit to himself. We wish Nathaniel well as he looks to further progress his career."

Chalobah will become the latest player to leave Stamford Bridge on a temporary deal in January. Already this month, promising midfielder Lewis Baker has joined Sheffield Wednesday, while full back Todd Kane has joined Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.

John Swift has joined Swindon Town, Alex Kiwomya has linked up with League One rivals Barnsley, while Patrick Bamford and Alex Davey have renewed their deals at Middlesbrough and Scunthorpe United respectively.

19-year-old forward Islam Feruz is also expected to complete his move to Cardiff City in the coming days.