Ruben Loftus-Cheek Eyeing Regular Game Time Next Season Amid Rumours of Potential Chelsea Exit

Ruben Loftus-Cheek impressed this past week for England in his 10 minute World Cup cameo, and deservedly won many plaudits for his work rate and creativity.

So much so, in fact, that clubs are starting to take notice of the midfielder, with Loftus-Cheek reportedly considering his future after spending a year on loan at Crystal Palace from parent club Chelsea.

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The 22-year-old only has only made six starts for the Blues, but his performances on loan at Palace this season - where he scored two goals and assisted on four others - earned him a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad.

And now, with Dele Alli nursing a thigh injury and likely to miss England's second group game against Panama this Sunday, Loftus-Cheek may get his first World Cup start for the Three Lions.

However, Loftus-Cheek has spoken to the Sun about his desire for more game time in the Premier League next season: "That’s the key for me next season, regarding where I end up. I want to play. I want to play as much as I can.

“Even this past season just gone, I didn’t play as much as I would have liked to because of the injuries and stuff. So I still feel I need a proper season of playing, wherever it is.

“I’m confident in my ability that I can do well wherever it is. But I’m just not thinking about whether I’m going to play at Chelsea right now. I’m focused on the tournament.

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“It’s hard to keep training at your best, but I made sure I did for when the time comes for when I did get opportunities like Palace.

“But I do understand that Chelsea is a big club and there is pressure on managers to win games, trophies. 

"So I understand they might not be willing to take a chance on someone at a bigger club.”

The youngster's comments have alerted Crystal Palace and in particular Newcastle United, with Magpies boss Rafa Benitez eyeing a return to Chelsea's young talent, after tasting success with the loan signing of Kenedy last season.

Ideally, the Magpies manager would like to sign both players (and is also looking at another Blues youngster in Kasey Palmer), according to the Shields Gazette, but given Chelsea have slapped a £20m price tag on Kenedy's head, another loan may be a more viable option.

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However, Premier League rules prevent a club from taking more than one player on loan from another team in the league, so Benitez may have a decision to make on which Chelsea player he wants to bring to St. James' Park.