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English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has penned an emotional farewell message to Chelsea fans after his now-confirmed transfer to AC Milan.
The 27-year-old English international is the latest player to be sold by the Blues, in what has been a massive clear out undertaken by the club this summer.
Along with Loftus-Cheek, the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy and Kai Havertz have already been sold by the west London club.
The most recent player sale to be confirmed by Chelsea is that of Loftus-Cheek, who joins Italian giants AC Milan for a transfer fee in the region of £17 million. The Blues will first receive the sum of £14 million for the player with £3 million to be paid in add-ons.
Following his departure, which has now been made official via Chelsea's social media handle, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was quick to roll out a heartwarming farewell message to his boyhood club.
"I would like to thank everyone associated with Chelsea football club who have helped me during my career," Loftus-Cheek said. "To the coaches that I've worked with, the backroom staffs and my teammates, to the people I've seen day to day on the training ground, over the last 19 years, thank you all."
"To the fans, you've supported me and had my back from day one, no words will ever be enough to tell you how much that has meant to my family and I," he continued.
"I wish nothing but the best to everyone here and hope to see the club get back on the right path and winning silverware as soon as possible," he added further. "It's time for me to begin a new adventure in football, to live in a new country and experience a new culture, but I really do hope our paths will cross again in the future. Thank you for everything."
Loftus-Cheek departs Chelsea after 19 solid years, having joined Chelsea at the tender age of eight and grew through the ranks of the club's academy and youth set-ups.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek's achievements as a Chelsea player
Ruben Loftus-Cheek enjoyed a 19-year period at the club prior to his now confirmed £17 million transfer to AC Milan.
During his time with the club youth team, the midfielder helped his side win both the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League during the 2014-15 season.
He made his debut for the senior team in December 2014, during a UEFA Champions League home game against Sporting CP, with the Blues going on to win by 3-1.
He had a couple of loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham. However, his major standout season for Chelsea came in the 2018-19 campaign, where he ended up scoring 10 goals under then-manager Maurizio Sarri.
Overall, Ruben Loftus-Cheek made a total of 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 goals and winning three titles, namely the Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup.
