Chelsea’s London rivals West Ham are reportedly keen on signing youngsters Dominic Solanke and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan, having also inquired about the back-up goalkeeper Asmir Begovic’s situation at Stamford Bridge, The Telegraph reports.
The Hammers manager Slaven Bilic and Antonio Conte are thought of having a good relationship between them, and the two could agree on some business in Janaury. The Croatian and the Italian have already faced each other twice this season, Chelsea winning 2-1 in the league and West Ham triumphing 2-1 in the League Cup.
It’s believed that West Ham want at least one Chelsea player in the winter transfer window – either permanently or on loan. The 20-year-old Loftus-Cheek and 19-year-old Solanke are the two most realistic targets, as the young Englishmen are in big need of playing time on first-team level.
Chelsea are very unlikely going to sell their young talisman, but a loan spell for Loftus-Cheek could be very wise regarding his development. He has made just one outing from the bench this season in the league, but scored against Bristol Rovers on the 2nd round of the EFL Cup.
Solanke is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Blues, but hasn’t missed out on the headlines, as the youngster made an astounding request when demanding a £50,000-a-week salary on his new Chelsea contract. However, the player has agreed to sign a deal worth half the price, but is unlikely going to have big chance at Chelsea this season, so a loan would help him on his development as well.
And what comes to Begovic, the club have also showed interest on the Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas, but it’s expected that both of the players are more keen on fighting for their place in the Chelsea starting line-up.
