Chelsea have loaned out Kurt Zouma to Stoke City for the next season.
The central defender has signed a new six-year contract with the Blues but is set to spend the next 12 months on loan at the Britannia stadium.
The departures of long-serving captain John Terry and Nathan Ake to Aston Villa and Bournemouth respectively created space for Zouma to gather some first team football under his belt.
However, Antonio Conte’s buy of Antonio Rudiger leaves question marks on whether the French defender will get the required minutes to grow as a defender.
Chelsea still hold him highly though, as the contract extension points to, he will be a key figure at Stamford Bridge and will not be allowed to leave until his full potential is realized.
Out of the nine appearances he made last season, only three were starts.
