​Ruben Loftus-Cheek Emerges as Shock Transfer Target for Ligue 1 Giants Due to Lack of Minutes

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has emerged as a shock loan target for Ligue 1 outfit Monaco this summer after being told he must wait his turn for first-team minutes,

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has emerged as a shock loan target for Ligue 1 outfit Monaco this summer after being told he must wait his turn for first-team minutes, according to reports. 

The 22-year-old, who starred at this summer's World Cup as part of Gareth Southgate's England squad, has been left frustrated with a lack of game time at Stamford Bridge following a strong campaign on loan at Crystal Palace last time out. 

Ruben Loftus-Cheek goes from World Cup game time and being lauded in Russia to not even getting on the Chelsea bench. He’s 23, not a kid anymore. Big decisions to make. #cfc

— Warren Haughton (@WarrenHaughton) August 18, 2018

The imposing creator had hoped on his return from an eye-catching tournament that more chances of action would come his way, particularly under new boss Maurizio Sarri. 

However, with that looking increasingly unlikely, Loftus-Cheek may be forced to look elsewhere for minutes, and according to The Sun, Monaco have emerged as a shock interested party to fulfil the player's desire. 

The Ligue 1 club are on the hunt of recapturing the French title once again, after Paris Saint-Germain reclaimed their crown last season, as well as fighting at the business end of this term's Champions League. 

Great to see Chelsea developing a Real Madrid player (kovacic) for them rather than giving English players a go in Loftus-cheek and Barkley...

— Christian (@Christianjw92) August 26, 2018

Squad depth will prove vital for such a challenge, and alongside new £27m signing Aleksandr Golovin, Les Monegasques are on the hunt for some added steel in midfield. 

However, Chelsea boss Sarri believes, despite the speculation, that he will still have Loftus-Cheek available for selection at the end of this month, and will be able to offer more opportunities once fixtures in the Champions League and Carabao Cup come around. 

"I have spoken with him twice this week, after speaking with the club. I think Loftus will remain with us," the Italian said.

"We can speak again about his situation but only in December. It’s not so easy in this period because we play only once a week.

“But I told the team that, this month, they have to be patient. Starting from September, we play three games a week, so there will be space for everybody.”

Here's the Chelsea team to take on Newcastle... #NEWCHE pic.twitter.com/DqGqdBR5Pi

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 26, 2018

Despite being left out of the Blues' victory over Arsenal last weekend, Loftus-Cheek was part of Sarri's 18 which won at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon - though he was an unused substiitute.