Tuesday 2 August 2016 15:53, UK
Chelsea defender Baba Rahman has signed for Schalke on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old, who joined the Blues from Augsburg in 2015, failed to secure a first-team place at Stamford Bridge last season and has been allowed to join the Gelsenkirchen club on loan.
Schalke confirmed the signing in a statement on the club's website on Tuesday and the Ghanaian will now link up with his former Augsberg manager Markus Weinzierl, who took charge of the Bundesliga outfit earlier this summer.
Weinzierl said: "Abdul is an attack-minded left full-back and I am absolutely convinced about his qualities. Also in terms of his attitude, he is a really great guy for our team."
Rahman endured a frustrating debut season in the Premier League behind first-choice left-back Cesar Azpilicueta, although he did make 23 appearances in all competitions for the west London club.
And Chelsea's new manager Antonio Conte has allowed Rahman to leave on loan despite having only two senior full-backs left in his squad - Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic.
"I spoke with the new Chelsea head coach and he told me that I would probably not to play very often in his system," Rahman told the Schalke website.
"I want to be on the pitch, so I told the management in London that I wanted to transfer. I found a very good club in the form of Schalke and I'm sure that I have made the right decision."
The Blues have been linked with a number of possible replacements including PSV Eindhoven's Santiago Arias and versatile Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Chelsea are due to face AC Milan in the International Champions Cup on Wednesday as they continue their preparations for the upcoming season.
Conte's side host West Ham in their opening Premier League fixture on August 15, a game you can watch live on Sky Sports.
