Exclusive claims Chelsea could repeat last January move with loan for unwanted defender

Leeds United are said to be keen on Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, according to an exclusive from Football Insider.

Their piece claims that the Yorkshire side are looking to add the defender to their relegation battling squad after losing Joe Rodon to injury. They are said to want Disasi on loan, looking for a deal like the one Aston Villa got a year ago.

Disasi could be perfect fit for Leeds – but permanent deal tricky to arrange.

Axel Disasi playing for Chelsea’s U-21 Development Squad.

Disasi is not wanted by Chelsea and has been in the “bomb squad” all year, but we’re still not sure a move to Leeds is that likely. Chelsea want him gone on a permanent deal, and loaning him out risks him just boomeranging around back to them as he did a year ago after being at Villa.

Equally, if there are no permanent offers (and right now it doesn’t look like there will be) our hand may be forced as we look to get him out on the pitch somewhere to increase interest from someone who actually might want to sign him permanently.

We can see Disasi being a really useful player for Leeds as they fight relegation – it’s just a question of whether they can offer Chelsea what they want.

In other news…

Enzo Maresca spoke about Jorrel Hato in his press conference today. The backup left back is needed to step up now that Marc Cucurella has hurt his hamstring, but the Dutchman has also picked up a knock. It’s another frustrating moment from a frustrating first season for him at Chelsea.

Also in the presser, Maresca was asked about his team’s ability to hold onto leads, and whether the lack of experience in his group was potentially a problem in that regard.