Ruben Loftus Cheek could snub Schalke 04 to stay at Chelsea

Bengaluru, August 14: Bundesliga club Schalke 04 want to rope in 22-year-old Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus Cheek on loan as a replacement for Max Meyer before the close of the transfer window, it is learnt. But Loftus Cheek could reject the offer to stay at Chelsea.

Meyer, also 22, left the club and joined Crystal Palace, hoping to prove himself in the Premier League. The club has zeroed in on Loftus Cheek, part of England's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, as a suitable replacement.

However, Loftus Cheek wants to stay at Chelsea and prove himself in Maurizio Sarri's system. In the previous season under Antonio Conte, Loftus Cheek was getting fewer chances in the first team due to the presence of N'Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko, and was asked to be loaned out to a different club, eventually ending up in Crystal Palace.

Now that he has improved and gained a lot of game time in the Premier League, Loftus Cheek says he wants to fight for his place in Chelsea. Even though the departure of Bakayoko to AC Milan on loan has opened doors for Loftus Cheek, the signing of Jorginho, a deep lying midfielder has still kept Loftus Cheek out of the first team for now.

If Ruben Loftus-Cheek is loaned again, I really will have no hope for the youth at this club.

Has a breakout season with Crystal Palace, makes the England World Cup squad, and STILL cannot get a look at Chelsea over the likes of Bakayoko & Drinkwater.

I am disgusted.

— Lav (@LavCFC) 6 August 2018

Sarri wants to implement a 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea this season where Jorginho will play the role of a deep lying midfielder. Kante and Ross Barkley started as the other midfielders in their first match against Huddersfield Town and Loftus Cheek came on as a substitute for Barkley in the second half.

As things stand, there will be competition among Barkley, Mateo Kovacic, Cesc Fabregas and Loftus Cheek to get into the starting lineup of the Blues. This would still mean that Loftus Cheek is down the pecking order at the Blues' line-up.

The 22-year-old has three years left on his contract and it's high time that the English midfielder proves himself in the big stage. Loftus Cheek is a box-to-box midfielder and will perfectly suit into Sarri's plans at Chelsea. With him being adamant on staying back at Chelsea, the loan move seems unlikely now.