3 former Chelsea players with buy-back clauses

#1 Nathaniel Chalobah

Nathaniel Chalobah could return to Stamford Bridge thanks to a buy-back clause

If there is one player which personifies Chelsea's youth policy over the past few years it is Nathaniel Chalobah. Having joined the Blues Academy from Fulham in 2005, the midfielder has been shipped out on loan all over the place before eventually securing a permanent transfer away from Stamford Bridge.

Chalobah spent five years in the Chelsea youth ranks before moving on loan to Watford, who were in the Championship at the time, for the 2012/13 season. He then spent six months at Nottingham Forrest, Middlesborough, Burnley, and Reading consecutively over the next two years.

For the 2015/16 season, he finally secured a full season loan with Serie A team, Napoli. Having made only five appearances for the Naples club, he finally got a chance in the Chelsea first team, playing a handful of games throughout the 2016/17 season under Antonio Conte.

However, in 2017, his first loan club, Watford came in with a €6.3 million offer which was accepted by the Blues. The transfer included a buy-back clause for an unspecified amount and demonstrated Chelsea's change in attitude towards young players by allowing them to secure permanent moves rather than endless loans.

Interestingly, Chalobah's loan spell at Napoli coincided with a certain Maurizio Sarri's first season in charge of the Naples club. Perhaps the 23-year-old did enough to impress the new Chelsea manager in Italy and Sarri will look to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.