Chelsea find new destination for loan players as they agree partnership with Besiktas
Chelsea's high-earning players could soon be sent on loan to Turkey after the club reached a new partnership agreement with Besiktas.
Chelsea have been accused of stockpiling players in recent years and the Premier League leaders have been criticised for sending 26 players out on loan this season.
That policy does not look likely to change, however, as Chelsea now appear to have a new club and country where they can send players.
Besiktas, who signed the striker Demba Ba from Chelsea in the summer, should be able to pay the wages of most players the Blues would be prepared to loan out thanks to the lucrative television deal in Turkey.
The Besiktas board member Erdal Torunogullari recently made the journey to the Chelsea academy to discuss the agreement, around the time the Turkish club visited London to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
Torunogullari claims that the partnership will involve close co-operation between the first teams, academies, training support and join scouting projects.
The most significant aspect of the arrangement, however, will be the potential for Chelsea players to join Besiktas on loan.
Chelsea have 26 players parked at clubs around Europe and have a link‑up with the Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, where Josh McEachran, Bertrand Traoré and Wallace are on loan.
However, Chelsea have run into problems in finding clubs that have the financial power to pay their players' wages.
It is understood that a number of young stars, including Gaël Kakuta, were asked to take pay cuts ahead of loan moves this summer to prevent Chelsea having to supplement their incomes while they are away. Kakuta is on loan at Rayo Vallecano, but Spanish clubs cannot afford to pay the wages that even young players earn at Chelsea.
Besiktas, though, have the finances to pay relatively large wages. Ba's £80,000-a-week Chelsea salary put off a number of suitors, but the Turkish club were able to satisfy the 29‑year-old's demands