Chelsea defender makes the move to the Serie A

Chelsea have sanctioned the departure of Davide Zappacosta to Genoa on a season-long loan agreement.

The Italian had a forgettable loan stint with AS Roma last term which was hampered by a serious knee injury.

Hence, he made only eight appearances for the Giallorossi and he has now returned to the Serie A with Genoa.

Zappacosta was signed by Antonio Conte for the Blues in 2017 and he has been restricted to only 52 appearances across all competitions.

He has been deemed surplus to requirements since the arrival of Frank Lampard last summer and the Blues have not received any permanent bids.

As such, they have agreed to loan him out for the second season running and it remains to be seen whether he can make his mark with Genoa.

Genoa faced a relegation battle last season and they ended the campaign in the 17th spot, four points ahead of Lecce.