Could Chelsea look to Portugal for more loan opportunities?

Reports out of Portugal on Tuesday would suggest that there is something of a relationship being established between Vitoria Guimaraes and Chelsea FC. Vitoria have four players that will be heading to the African Cup of Nations next season, and they will likely need to look for temporary replacements in January. According to Abola, they'll only be looking to Chelsea if they do so.

Chelsea already have a pair of prospects on loan to the Liga Sagres side, with Milan Lalkovic seeing regular substitute appearances while Matej Delac has been a regular fixture on the bench. Both seem to be enjoying the experience though, and hopefully Lalkovic will see an expanded role.

Chelsea have loaned out the vast majority of their better prospects, but for a guy like Lucas Piazon, Vitoria could really make an awful lot of sense. He already speaks the language, and he could certainly benefit from some first team experience. There's also a good chance that the U21 side will be playing against some of the less talented sides in the spring unless they really improve in the standings before January. The Piazon loan idea is all speculation at this point, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on.