European regulars and Scottish giants Rangers have reportedly contacted Chelsea to discuss a summer loan move for 18-year-old English prospect Leo Castledine.
According to a report by Football Scotland, Leo Castledine is the subject of interest from Rangers. The Scottish giants and European regulars have contacted Chelsea to discuss a loan move with a purchase option. However, the Blues are only open to a straight loan without any additional details as they rate their academy whizkid highly.
Who is Leo Castledine?
Leo Castledine is the latest highly-rated prodigy to rise in prominence in the youth division at Chelsea. A native of London, the Englishman has spent most of his formative years with Chelsea and AFC Wimbledon, with the two stints with the West London outfit sandwiching the spell with the Dons.
The 18-year-old currently represents Chelsea’s under-21 side, and he was one of the best players in Premier League 2 last season. Castledine contributed to 19 goals in 18 Premier League 2 outings for Chelsea, finding the back of the net ten times while providing nine assists. In addition, he made his first-team debut with a five-minute cameo in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough.
Meanwhile, Leo Castledine’s progress in age-group football has not gone unnoticed, and he has captured the attention of several well-known clubs across Europe. The latest update has revealed that Rangers are keen on signing the English youth international in the summer transfer window and have approached Chelsea.
Scottish loan on the horizon?
Rangers have contacted Chelsea to discuss a summer move for Leo Castledine. However, there is a sticking point during the discussions between the two clubs. While the European regulars and Scottish giants are pushing to include a purchase option in a loan deal involving the English whizkid, Chelsea will not accept that detail in the agreement.
Instead, the Blues want to sanction a straight loan deal with no clause for a future agreement. Nevertheless, negotiations between Chelsea and Rangers are progressing and should continue in the coming days. However, the European regulars face stiff competition from fellow Scottish outfit Aberdeen.
So, it behoves Rangers to quickly conclude their discussions with Chelsea unless they want to lose the battle for Leo Castledine’s signature to Aberdeen. Either way, the 18-year-old English whizkid should soon depart Chelsea to secure first-team experience elsewhere, following in the footsteps of Alfie Gilchrist.
