Chelsea in talks with Bundesliga club over Ghanaian defender

Bundesliga high-flyers Schalke are reportedly interested in pursuing the services of Baba Rahman from Chelsea this month. The Ghana international joined the Blues from Augsburg in the summer of 2015, and he has since managed 23 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Rahman spent the previous campaign on a temporary basis with Schalke 04, but his season was curtailed in January 2017 after he suffered a serious knee injury in the African Cup of Nations game versus Uganda.

Since then, the Ghanaian has been recuperating from his long-term problem, and Schalke sporting executive Christian Heidel has now confirmed his side's desire to sign the left-back on a permanent basis.

"We’re in talks with Chelsea regarding Baba Rahman. There are still one or two things to clear up on their end. We could agree on a deal with the player himself relatively quickly," he is quoted as saying by Metro.

Rahman is likely to be behind both Marcos Alonso and Davide Zappacosta on his return to full fitness, and an exit looks a distinct possibility this month, though the Blues will want to recoup most of the £20m spent on his services.