Chelsea youngster’s move away from the club progressing

Milwall are close to signing Chelsea defender Zak Sturge on a permanent deal, Hayters TV understands.

The 21-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at the Championship side, making five Championship appearances under Alex Neil.

A deal to take Sturge to the south London side on a permanent basis is progressing well but has not yet been finalised.

He moved to Chelsea in 2022 after a spell in Brighton’s academy but has not made a first-team appearance for the Blues.

He also had a spell on loan at Peterborough United in the 2023/24 campaign, and is now keen to get more first-team football.

Milwall boss Neil was very complementary of the youngster after making his Milwall debut last season, saying: “There were just a couple of times, obviously he’s really eager, he sort of pops that ball and runs beyond it before we secured it. So a couple of little bits to improve on.

“I thought he was competitive in the air. I thought you could see he’s athletic, handles the ball well. There’s nothing better when you’re a young lad that’s come in, got on the pitch and your team wins 1-0 right at the death so he’ll be delighted with that.”