5 Premier League players who need to leave their teams before the window closes

#2 Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

Zouma (left) in action for Stoke, where he spent last season out on-loan

At 23, Kurt Zouma has already established his pedigree as one of the best centre-backs in Europe in recent seasons. However, a serious ligament injury later, his long-term future at Chelsea was thrown into doubt.

He signed a contract extension prior to joining Stoke on a season-long loan twelve months ago and despite being one of their best and most consistent players, was unable to stop them from getting relegated to the Championship.

He must have been feeling conflicted, watching his compatriots win the World Cup in Russia last month - as Didier Deschamps left him on the standby list.

Knowing that playing for a team better than Stoke last season would've probably propelled him in the manager's thoughts, but equally, what about his long-term future?

Chelsea, under new management in Maurizio Sarri this summer, had left him out of their 25-man pre-season tour through an unspecified injury. But more recently, his squad number 5 has been given away to midfield acquisition Jorginho.

That news in itself is significant, as it has left him without a number ahead of the new campaign while sending speculation rampant regarding his future with plenty of clubs monitoring his situation.

Whichever way you look at it, it doesn't appear good from Chelsea's perspective that they were prepared to relinquish his number and give it to another player while he's still contracted to the club - suggesting he could leave, either on another loan or permanent basis before the window closes.