Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel has confirmed that transfer talks for Chelsea defender Abdul Baba Rahman are underway.
Rahman joined Chelsea in the summer of 2015, playing in 15 Premier League games in the then-champions’ ill-fated mid-table season.
New manager Antonio Conte decided to loan out the left-back last summer, effectively bringing in Marcos Alonso as a replacement.
The Ghana international featured in 11 Bundesliga games for his new club, while also playing in every Europa League group stage game, scoring a winning goal against Nice en route to the knockout rounds.
However, the 22-year-old suffered a knee injury in January’s Africa Cup of Nations, which sees him still sidelined.
Reports in the English press this week suggested that Conte will keep Rahman at Chelsea this summer, ahead of a Champions League campaign, but Schalke have other ideas.
As reported by the German club’s official website, Heidel said: “We are in talks with Chelsea and the player. It is possible that he will be back at Schalke next season.
“We will not wait until he is fit again to make a decision – you cannot do that to a player. I think that there will be something to announce soon.”