Chelsea youngster Cristian Cuevas joins Sint-Truidense on loan amid new full-back signing rumours

Chelsea have confirmed that Cristian Cuevas will join Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truidense for the duration of the 2015-16 season.

The 20-year-old defender moved to Stamford Bridge in 2013 but is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Premier League champions ,having spent loan spells at Vitesse Arnhem, FC Eindhoven and Universidad de Chile during the past two years.

Cuevas, who can operate either at left-back or left-wing, will "continue his development" at Truidense, who won promotion to the top flight last season, and will come up against Champions League sides Genk and Club Brugge this year, as well as Anderlecht.

The move all but confirms Chelsea's intention to sign a full-back during the remaining weeks of the transfer window after allowing Cuevas to join Filipe Luis – who returned to Atletico Madrid after 12 months in West London – in leaving the club.

Mourinho has regularly spoken of his desire to promote players from the club's academy and youth teams into the first team, but it appears he will overlook an opportunity to give a peripheral player vital experience.

Cesar Azpilicueta played at full-back in the 2-2 opening day draw with Swansea City but Chelsea are without genuine cover behind the Spain international and manager Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his intent to sign a back-up defender.

"We need a left-back, the board knows that and my feeling is that we are going to have one," he said prior to the opening weekend of the season, according to Sky Sports.

A deal to sign Augsberg's Baba Rahman, valued at £14m ($21.8m) according to The Daily Telegraph, continues to suffer delays and is likely to leave the club short heading into the trip to title rivals Manchester City.

The dismissal of Thibaut Courtois for a challenge on Swansea forward Bafetimbi Gomis only worked to highlight the threadbare options available to Chelsea, with summer signing Asmir Begovic now in line to make his full debut against City as the Belgian serves a three-game ban.