Chelsea midfielder heading for summer move

 

Danny Drinkwater is free to leave Chelsea this summer after just 12 months at the club, reports The Daily Mirror.

 

Chelsea shelled out in excess of £30m to prise Drinkwater away from Leicester last summer but the England international has failed to make any impression at the club.

 

Drinkwater failed to convince Antonio Conte last term and now new manager Maurizio Sarri is ready to discard the 28-year-old before the transfer window shuts on August 9.

 

Chelsea have already recruited Jorginho from Napoli and Sarri is keen to bolster his midfield options with one more new face, paving the way for Drinkwater to depart.

 

Chelsea midfielder heading for summer move

 

The west London outfit will hope to recoup as much of their initial outlay as possible but will struggle for suitors at that price given how much his stock has fallen over the last year.

 

Southampton and Crystal Palace are both understood to be monitoring Drinkwater’s future, but would ideally like to sign the midfielder on an initial season-long loan deal.

 

Drinkwater was limited to just five starts in the Premier League last season, making a further seven appearances from the bench in that time. He garnered an underwhelming WhoScored rating of 6.95 from starts alone.