Chelsea reportedly continue to value Carney Chukwuemeka as an important part of their long-term project.

Having chosen to leave Aston Villa for Stamford Bridge last summer, the England Under-20 international was expected to be provided with more opportunities than he was receiving at Villa Park.

However, the midfielder endured a frustrating first campaign, with approximately a third of his minutes in the Premier League coming during the final two games.

In total, the 19-year-old featured for just 362 minutes spread across 15 appearances, and it is now accepted that he requires more game time during 2023-24.

Mauricio Pochettino is yet to decide the entire make-up of what will be a new-look squad, with the Argentine known to be in the market for several fresh faces while an array of players move elsewhere.

Chukwuemeka possesses a contract at the West Londoners until 2028, making it difficult for rival teams to make a formal approach to secure his services on a permanent basis.

Nevertheless, a loan departure is a natural option for a player who has admirers at other top European clubs and in the Premier League.

That said, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea's hierarchy will insist that no buy clause is included in any loan proposal.

Romano says that the club's board will not consider cashing in on the prospect as they view him as a key player in the long term, already demonstrated by spending a reported £20m on his services last summer.

The performance of Chukwuemeka was one of the few positives from Chelsea's 4-1 defeat at Manchester United last month, even if the outing was just his second start for the club in the top flight.

Fellow Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claimed over the weekend that AC Milan were interested in a loan deal for Chukwuemeka, as well as acquiring the option to buy.

Such a proposal will seemingly not be considered by Chelsea, even at a time when they are in need of boosting their position with FFP as soon as possible.

Milan have also been credited with an interest in Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but an upheaval in the boardroom at San Siro appears to have made that deal more unlikely to materialise.