One of Chelsea‘s fabled loan army will depart the club permanently in summer, after Atalanta agreed to take up their permanent option for Mario Pasalic.
The 25-year-old Croatian international has been with the Blues for almost six years, but has never made a competitive appearance for them, instead heading out on loan to five different clubs.
Since the start of the 2018/19 campaign he has been with Italian outfit Atalanta and has played a key role in their push into the top four of Serie A, scoring five times this season.
Previously, he also spent a season with each of Eibar, Monaco, AC Milan and Spartak Moscow.
The Guardian report that the Bergamo club have opted to take up their purchase option on Pasalic, paying around €15 million (£12.5m) to do so this summer.
Pasalic originally joined Chelsea from Hajduk Split, but will now follow the likes of Tomas Kalas and Matej Delac in departing permanently after multiple years away from Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard is undergoing something of a rebuild of his squad, incorporating plenty of players who had been out on loan up until this season.
Hakim Ziyech has also been confirmed as an incoming summer signing, while Alvaro Morata’s loan to Atletico Madrid will also become permanent in the summer.
Lampard is rumoured to want a new striker, a left-back and potentially a central defender in the summer, while the goalkeeper position has also come under scrutiny of late.
Chelsea face Man United in the Premier League on Monday night as they look to secure their grip on fourth place.
