Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri wants to offload Danny Drinkwater

Bengaluru, August 16: Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri wants to offload English international midfielder Danny Drinkwater overseas, according to reports in England.

Chelsea’s squad is stacked with midfielders like Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all battling it out with the 28-year-old Drinkwater.

And, reports now claim that the former Napoli boss has “has signalled that he is happy to allow the England international leave before the European transfer window closes at the end of the month”, according to The Daily Star.

Tiemoue Bakayoko was quickly deemed surplus to requirements by the Italian coach and was shipped out to AC Milan earlier this week. Now Drinkwater could be heading abroad himself as Sarri attempts to trim his squad and the club’s wage bill.

The former Leicester man has suffered several injury blows over the past 12 months which has restricted him to just five starts for Chelsea.

The Bundesliga may be one option for him with Schalke, who missed out on a move for team-mate Loftus-Cheek, believed to be keen on his signature.

Former Manchester United academy product Drinkwater could opt to stay in the capital and fight for his place instead of heading to the Continent before the end of the European transfer window on August 31.

English players have always been known notoriously for their homesickness and Drinkwater might also fall under the same class. But Sarri, who left him out of his squad for the 3-0 win at Huddersfield, has no plans to use him unless under an emergency.

The player was snubbed by England manager Gareth Southgate for the World Cup and unless he plays regular first-team football, it will be impossible for him to get back into the national team and therefore, a move might well be on the cards.