Chelsea are close to signing Shim Mheuka to a new contract, after which he will be sent on loan to get senior experience.

If you enjoy CaughtOffside coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.

Chelsea are hoping to agree a new contract for star young striker Shim Mheuka, according to an exclusive from Football.London which was published last night.

The 18 year old is into the last year of his current deal, so signing him onto a long term deal is a priority. Then the club will look to find a loan deal for the forward, who has scored at a preposterous rate at youth level, as the latest product of Chelsea’s impressive academy production line of talent.

Mheuka ready for new deal and fresh start on loan

That was the pattern we saw with Jesse Derry, another Chelsea youth star from last year, who has now signed a long contract and gone to Sporting in Portugal on loan.

Mheuka will have no shortage of suitors both in England and abroad. The piece claims there has been a “breakthrough” in talks recently which means a deal is close after long months of negotiation; and that there are “numerous clubs” from Europe’s top five leagues and the EFL who are interested in the number 9.

In other news…

Benfica are closing in on a loan deal for Jhon Duran which could see the Colombian striker move to Lisbon on a permanent deal.

Manchester City are pushing hard to sign Lille’s star teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, and the latest reports look pretty positive for Enzo Maresca’s team.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON THE APP STORE