‘Chelsea midfielder set for EFL switch as permanent exit beckons’
Chelsea are set to allow one of their young midfielders to move to the Championship permanently ahead of next season.
The Stamford Bridge club’s campaign ended in silverware thanks to their 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the Conference League on Wednesday, 28 May.
Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge of the West Londoners has been largely successful as he also steered the Blues to a Champions League spot.
The former Leicester City boss will now turn his attention to the summer transfer window as well as the upcoming Club World Cup campaign.
Chelsea set to let Leo Castledine leave Stamford Bridge permanently
Chelsea youngster Leo Castledine made one senior appearance for the West London outfit during the 2023/24 season, and subsequently spent this term on loan at League One Shrewsbury Town.
Meanwhile, as per the Daily Mirror’s live blog [29 May, 11.53am], Maresca’s men are now set to let the midfielder leave Stamford Bridge permanently amid interest from the Championship, while the 19-year-old is keen for regular game time.
Castledine scored two goals in 23 League One appearances for Shrewsbury, but could not prevent the Shropshire side from suffering relegation to League Two.
Chelsea handed boost in Rafael Leao pursuit
Maresca is set to oversee an important summer transfer window after steering the Stamford Bridge outfit to the Champions League less than a year on from moving to the capital city club from Leicester.
| Leo Castledine stats | League One 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 23 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 0 |
Castledine’s exit is set to play a small role in the West London side’s transfer business this summer, as Football Insider have exclusively revealed that Maresca has been handed a boost as Chelsea eye Rafael Leao.
Unlike the Premier League side, Milan did not qualify for the Champions League, which hands the Blues an opportunity to sign the Portugal international.
Even though Milan endured an underwhelming Serie A campaign, Leao enjoyed a successful individual season, notching 12 goals and 11 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have made contact with Ipswich Town over signing Liam Delap, who has a £30million release clause in his contract after the Tractor Boys suffered immediate relegation back to the Championship.