Handful of clubs interested as Baba Rahman expected to leave Chelsea — report

Chelsea Loan Army veteran Baba Rahman, soon to be turning 28, featured regularly for Championship side Reading last season, and those performances have reportedly piqued the interests of several teams in the English second division, as well as in France’s Ligue 1.

According to Ghana Soccernet, the likes of Rennes and Reims in the French top flight have “shown interest”, joining Reading and Middlesbrough from the Championship, while FC Augsburg in Germany in PAOK in Greece have also “expressed interest”. Baba was originally signed from Augsburg — seven years ago (for £14m plus add-ons)! — while he also spent a half-season at PAOK in the intervening years of many (knee) injuries and even more loans.

For whatever reason, Baba’s contract was extended last summer, so he still has two years left on the books, though Chelsea “prefer” a permanent transfer now, which would add some real sense to that decision in the form of a transfer fee. Baba himself is hoping to resolve his future soon to give him the best chance of being ready for the World Cup in November with Ghana.

Baba’s one of the many signings over the years who should serve as a warning to do our transfer business a bit more smartly going forward. He played sparingly that first season in 2015-16, and has not featured for Chelsea since.