Ghana international defender Baba Rahman is on the verge of completing a loan move from English Premier League club Chelsea to Schalke in the German Bundesliga.
The 22-year-old was brought in from Augsburg in Germany for GBP£17 million last season in order to strengthen José Mourinho’s backline, but his time in London has been a disappointment.
Since his signing, Mourinho has left the club and Guus Hiddink was entrusted with leading the Blues to a tenth-place finish.
Rahman failed to impress under the two managers, and with Antonio Conte now in charge at Stamford Bridge, Spanish left-back César Azpilicueta is clearly favoured over the Ghanaian.
.@ChelseaFC defender Baba Rahman undergoing @S04 medical – Sky sources: https://t.co/kFr8I4to0Y pic.twitter.com/mFndAem8Js
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 31, 2016
Rahman is therefore leaving England in search of consistent playing time and a confidence boost at Schalke. He was in Germany on Sunday to undergo a medical ahead of the loan deal confirmation.
Despite making 23 appearances for Chelsea during 2015-16, the left-back will not feature in the Blues squad this coming season, despite the fact that Conte’s defence is lacking depth at the moment.
Conte is aware of this, which is why Napoli’s Senegalese centre back Kalidou Koulibaly is Chelsea’s main transfer target in defence, after failure to attract either Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus or Roma’s Kostas Manolas.