Davide Zappacosta looks set to seal a return to Italy by joining Roma on loan for the 2019/20 season.
Signed from Torino in 2017 by Antonio Conte, the 27-year-old has struggled to nail down a place in the first team at right-back in his two years in the capital.
The emergence of Reece James following his outstanding year on loan at Wigan Athletic has knocked the Italian international down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and a move to the Giallorossi will give him opportunities to play regularly.
According to Sky in Italy, the player will undergo a medical later in the week to complete his return to his home country.
Frank Lampard has 20 foreign players at the club at present and Zappacosta's exit makes it a lot easier for the head coach in terms of picking a Champions League squad.
Teams are only allowed to register 17 non-locally trained players in their 25-man squad, thus meaning that three players will unfortunately fail to make the cut for Europe's top competition.
Marco van Ginkel will be one of those given he is currently injured and doesn't have a squad number, while Zappacosta's move to Roma would mean that the head coach only then needs to cut one more player.
However, UEFA's rule on 'homegrown' players means that Andreas Christensen isn't classed as non-locally trained despite the fact that he hails from Denmark.
UEFA defines locally-trained or 'homegrown' players as those who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the same national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21.
That means the Blues are right on the number for non-locally trained players, although that number could still drop with Tiemoue Bakayoko expected to move on before the European deadline as opportunities will not be there for him in the first team under Lampard.
Zappacosta's exit will also help Chelsea out in terms of their Premier League squad as rules state clubs can only register up to 17 non-homegrown players in their 25-man squads.
Non-locally trained Chelsea players at present
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Willy Caballero
Antonio Rudiger
Marcos Alonso
Cesar Azpilicueta
Davide Zappacosta
Emerson Palmieri
Kurt Zouma
Jorginho
N'Golo Kante
Mateo Kovacic
Tiemoue Bakayoko
Marco van Ginkel
Pedro
Kenedy
Christian Pulisic
Willian
Michy Batshuayi
Olivier Giroud
