Chelsea player ‘at the centre of thrilling duel’ – Other club ‘haven’t definitively abandoned hope’

Loaned out to Venezia last season, there is still a chance that Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu returns to Italy before the end of the transfer window.

The 21-year-old has yet to be used by Thomas Tuchel this season, who has decided to spend on his backline rather than promote youth, leaving the Wales international with little choice but to consider his future.

His spell at Venezia was a good one, where he made 30 appearances, and he could repeat that with at least three clubs after him.

Corriere dello Sport state the Chelsea defender is ‘at the centre of a thrilling duel’ between Spezia and Sassuolo.

However, Empoli ‘have not definitively abandoned hope of taking him’, but they have also opened talks for another target of theirs, with that being Fiorentina’s Matija Nastasic.

It appears that Ampadu will be leaving Chelsea in the foreseeable future, but with a contract keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2024, there is still time for him to grow abroad before returning to the Blues to make a final decision about his future at the club.