Reports in England claim Chelsea have extended left-back Baba Rahman’s contract by a year and sent him on loan to Real Mallorca for the season.

The Ghana international has played 23 games for Chelsea – all in 2015-16.

Rahman joined the Blues in 2015 for £22million from German side Augsburg but hasn’t made an impact in west London whatsoever.

The 25-year-old had loan spells with Bundesliga club Schalke and French side Reims last term.

Lampard is keen to trim the fat off his squad before he continues with the rest of Chelsea’s busy season.

Lampard’s side have Champions League football to contend with this year, following Maurizio Sarri’s Europa League win last season.

Likely to follow Rahman out the door is the versatile Kenedy, who is close to agreeing a year-long loan deal with Getafe, according to Goal.

The Brazilian showed some quality during pre-season but Lampard doesn’t view him as essential to his first team plans.

It’s thought that Kenedy will also sign a new deal with Chelsea before heading out to Spain for the season.

Rahman’s move to Mallorca will be the fourth loan spell during his time with Chelsea, while Kenedy also spent 18 months with Newcastle previously.

Goal are also reporting that midfielder Lucas Piazon is close to leaving the Premier League for Portuguese side Rio Ave.

Chelsea are, according to Daily Express, expected to have close to 25 players on loan with other clubs once the window shuts, something which FIFA are looking to clamp down on.

The Blues are already under a FIFA transfer ban, which was imposed at the beginning of the year over their past recruitment policy on foreign minors.

Photo Credit: Daily Express

Ross Barkley revealed Chelsea players held up their hands and confessed they were not good enough after failing to win again at the Bridge.

Tammy Abraham scored twice in the first 43 minutes, the first after a mistake from keeper Dean Henderson and the second after a collision between Jack O’Connell and John Egan.

But the Blues frittered away their 2-0 half-time lead to draw with Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge, with Kurt Zouma scoring an own goal in the 87th minute.

“There’s loads of ­talent in there in the changing room. The players we’ve got are ­unbelievable but today we weren’t at the level we should be. We didn’t perform well”, Barkley said as cited by the Mirror.

“You’ve just got to try and make things happen and we didn’t create enough chances, didn’t hit the ­target as much as we should have.

“But we all know. We all spoke in the changing room after the game and we all held our hands up. Tammy scored two goals but he can’t win the game on his own.”

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale came to Los Blancos’ rescue on Sunday when he scored twice to ensure Villarreal did not run away with all the points at stake, keeping the scoreline at 2-2 at full time.

The Welsh international was heavily linked with a move away from the club this summer, but he played a key role, with a goal in either half to rescue Real Madrid from a first La Liga defeat of the season.

Gerard Moreno handed the home side the lead on 7 minutes, reacted quickly to a loose ball, after Thibaut Courtois saved Karl Toko Ekambi’s shot.

Los Blancos had chances to find an equaliser, with Sergio Ramos and Casemiro both heading off target, before Bale tapped home Dani Carvajal’s cross on the stroke of half time.

The hosts looked to take the initiative after the break, but Villarreal goal keeper Andres did well to keep out efforts from Bale and Karim Benzema.

Real Madrid’s wastefulness was punished as Moi Gomez put Villarreal CF back in front with fifteen minutes to go, however it was left to Bale to have the final say..

With four minutes to go, he collected Luka Modric’s pass to slot home from a tight angle.

Photo Credit: Twitter @realmadrid.com

Reports in Italy claim Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan is his way to Italy to complete his move to Serie A side AS Roma.

Roma Radio confirmed the news and he is due to land at Fiumicino Airport at 10.55 local time, 09.55 in the UK.

He is expected to undergo his medical this morning to complete his loan move.

According to Football Italia, the loan deal is with option to buy at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old Armenia international scored four goals in 22 competitive games for Arsenal last season.

Mkhitaryan moved from Manchester United to Arsenal in January 2018 for €34m.

Roma also pick up Nikola Kalinic from Atletico Madrid, on loan with option to buy for €10m, and he landed in the Italian Capital last night.

The former Fiorentina and Milan striker returns to Serie A, with Patrik Schick heading to RB Leipzig.

Photo Credit: Sky Sports

Turkey-based Nigerian football prodigy Kizito Obichigha is angling for a move to Premier League to showcase his talent.

The 6 ft 2 defensive midfielder with a penchant for scoring match-winning goals, netted 8 goals and 12 assists to his name last season.

The utility player, who is popularly called “Nigeria’s Steven Gerrard”, is known for his shooting accuracy, marking ability, and pace.

Kizito was formerly plying his trade at Global Sports FC in Kazakhstan.

His extraordinary football skill caught the eyes of Denizlispor of Turkey. But the 20-year-old’s inability to secure the country’s visa early scuttled his dream of playing for the Super Lig club.

The young Nigerian eventually had to settle for Saglamtaspor last season, a semi-pro side in Turkey.

Kizito reveals his ambition to play in the Premier League. But the free agent is currently considering offers from clubs in the Turkish top-flight.

His words: “I dream of playing in the English Premier League in no distant time.”

Gospel Lekams