Chelsea’s Moses Set To Join Spartak Moscow On Season-Long Loan
The Blues winger will make his sixth loan move and become the 30th player to leave west London on a temporary deal this summer
Chelsea’s Victor Moses has agreed in principle to a season-long loan at Spartak Moscow, but he will still need to undergo a medical in the Russian capital to complete the deal.
The 29-year-old winger visited a sports clinic in Rome on Friday to conduct checks on a hip problem that he sustained while on loan at Inter last season, although that injury will not be a barrier to the move.
Indeed, Moses has already played several behind-closed-doors friendlies at Cobham to keep fit and even scored in the club’s 1-1 draw with Wimbledon last month.
After Inter refused to exercise their option to buy the Nigeria international for €10 million (£9m/$12m), the Blues opted to send the winger on yet another loan with the view to sell him at a similar price next summer.
“We have a bubble at the training ground with the first-team squad, which Victor hasn’t been part of. I know Victor well and we will see how that develops over the next week,” Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard said at the end of September.
Moses’ current deal expires in 2021 so he will agree on a one-year extension to protect Chelsea’s investment and allow the club to potentially earn a transfer fee next summer.
It will be the sixth loan move for Moses after spells with Liverpool, Stoke City, West Ham, Fenerbahce and Inter. Indeed, before his move to Turkey, Moses was a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge under Antonio Conte in a team that won a Premier League title and FA Cup.
Lampard has shown little interest in using Moses as he aims to build a vibrant young team. The Blues spent around £220m ($275m) in transfer fees this summer as they look to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, Jake Clarke-Salter and Baba Rahman are expected to make Championship loan moves with a host of clubs interested in the defensive duo ahead of the EFL window closing on 16 September.
Dujon Sterling and Danny Drinkwater could join the pair on loan in the Football League, while a host of younger players at Cobham Training Centre could still make temporary moves away.
The Blues have struggled to offload certain players due to the financial impact of the coronavirus, which partly caused deals to collapse that would have seen Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri and Antonio Rudiger leave the club.
West Ham showed a late interest in a loan deal for Fikayo Tomori but the move collapsed after the defender turned down the chance to join to the Blues’ London rivals.
FIFA will implement new limits on loan numbers next season which will see the Blues needing to reduce their group. The loanees are overseen by a loan department involving club legends like Claude Makelele, Carlo Cudicini, Tore Andre Flo and Paulo Ferreira.
