Bournemouth hopeful in talks with Chelsea over young defender — report

After Nathan Aké's successful spell on loan at Bournemouth that resulted in the youngster's return on a permanent £20m move six months later in the summer transfer window (alongside teammate Asmir Begovic), the Cherries are once again looking to dip into the Chelsea well of talent. According to the Daily Mail, their pick this season could be 18-year-old wing-back Dujon Sterling.

Sterling joined Chelsea in 2007 as an under-7 player, and like many of his generation, has won multiple FA Youth Cups and UEFA Youth Leagues since reaching the U18s. In July, at still just 17, he won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with England; two months later, he made his professional debut by coming on as a substitute for Davide Zappacosta in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Nottingham Forest for the third round of the League Cup. He’s made the bench three times since, including once in the Champions League, but like on Wednesday, he has yet to play any more minutes for the senior side.

He’s been a regular for the U23s in the PL2 and the U19s in the UEFA Youth League while continuing to train regularly with the first-team, but if Bournemouth are ready to offer him more minutes at Premier League level, then this loan move, the first of his career, would be fantastic.