Reports: Maurizio Sarri to offload Chelsea star

What's the rumour?

Having already sanctioned Tiemoue Bakyoko's move to AC Milan on a season-long deal, Maurizio Sarri has reportedly green-lighted the jettisoning of another Chelsea midfielder.

According to the Daily Star, the Italian manager has deemed Danny Drinkwater surplus to his requirements at Chelsea and has signalled he is happy for the 28-year-old to leave. If the aforementioned report is to be believed, the Bundesliga outfit Schalke have expressed their interest in Drinkwater after their pursuit of his team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek fell through.

In case you didn't know...

Maurizio Sarri has a host of options at his disposal in terms of Chelsea's midfield which include the likes of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley.

Consequently, the Chelsea coach is not interested in using Drinkwater, which explains why the erstwhile Leicester City ace also failed to make the cut for Chelsea's matchday squad against Huddersfield.

The heart of the matter

Danny Drinkwater joined Chelsea in a £35 million deal last summer - a year after he inspired Leicester City to an unanticipated Premier League triumph.

However, since his arrival, the England international has failed to make the grade at Stamford Bridge as he only managed 5 starts in the league in the 2017/18 season owing to his recurring injury problems.

As a result, he is bound to face cut-throat competition for a place in the starting lineup, particularly after the acquisitions of some big-name signings such as Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

Rumour rating/probability: 6/10

Granted that Daily Star is not a pretty dependable source when it comes to transfer news, Sarri's decision is quite justifiable in view of his relatively astronomical wage and utility.

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What's next?

This is a deal that suits both Chelsea and Drinkwater to a T! Nevertheless, the former Premier League champion could stay at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place under Maurizio Sarri.