Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has outlined his ambitions to keep Chelsea duo Jay Dasilva and Tomas Kalas on a longer term basis.
Both defenders signed on a season long loan at Ashton Gate in August, and have impressed as Bristol City finished in eighth position in the Championship, just four points short of a playoff place.
Centre back Kalas made 35 appearances in the league for Lee Johnson's side, while full back Dasilva played in 26 Championship games. Both were a key part of the squad at Ashton Gate, and Bristol City fans are hoping that they have not seen the last of them in the red shirts.
Chelsea player ratings vs Watford: Jorginho stunning while Higuain struggles in 3-0 victory
Manager Johnson has joined the fans in that hope, and said that he believes that the duo staying in Bristol is key to the club's and the players' development.
“I do believe this is the right football club for them," he told BBC Bristol after the one all against Hull City in their final game of the season.
"You never know what Chelsea have got in mind for them... I think they would be more than comfortable coming back & settling and rooting themselves in the Bristol area & driving us forward."
Dasilva and Kalas are just two of 41 Chelsea players who have spent time on loan to other clubs this season.
Bristol City Chief executive Mark Ashton confirmed earlier in the season that discussions will take place between the two clubs over the future of the loanees. The CEO also confirmed that there is an option to buy within Jay Dasilva's loan, but not in Kalas'.
"I said before that we have an option on Dasilva. We don’t have that on Kalas. It wasn’t part of the availability. He’s done so well for us," he said, as reported by BristolLive.
Eden Hazard makes surprise admission on his performances at Chelsea this season
"We have ongoing discussions with Chelsea and he will come into the discussions."
Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .
