Chelsea youngster Zak Sturge is on the verge of joining Millwall on a permanent deal. The 21-year-old impressed on loan at The Den over the second half of last season, and club bosses have moved early in the summer transfer window to secure his long-term future.
Sturge spent time in Brighton's academy before moving to Chelsea in 2022. He is set to leave without ever making a senior appearance for the Blues, although he gained first-team experience on loan at Peterborough United in 2023/24, before adding to his body of work during a fruitful stint with The Lions.
The two clubs, plus Sturge and his representatives, have been engaged in talks over a permanent switch since the end of the season. Express Sport now understands that the move will go through pending the completion of paperwork and a medical.
Sturge, who stands 6ft 2in tall and plays at left-back, was forced to be patient after heading to Millwall in January. The youngster had only made two substitute appearances before the last three matches of the season, in which he played every minute and made a lasting impression on the club's fans.
Millwall were pushing to make the Championship play-offs last term and they ended up finishing eighth, only two points off the pace. Manager Alex Neil is likely to need defensive reinforcements this summer as star centre-back Japhet Tanganga has a £1.2million release clause which four Premier League sides are prepared to trigger.
Neil spoke positively about Sturge after handing him his first Championship start in a 3-1 win over Norwich City in April. "I thought he did great," said the Scot. "I thought he started a little bit nervous, you could see he was a little bit nervous in the changing room, but it’s his first start. It’s a big thing.
"It’s a milestone for these lads. The magnitude of the game as well being at home, it was a really important match. How he went about it, I thought he was great. So I was really pleased for him."
Chelsea chiefs have set about thinning Enzo Maresca's squad to make room for new arrivals. Bashir Humphreys has joined Burnley on a permanent basis, with veteran goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli signing for Manchester City, young stopper Lucas Bergstrom entering free agency, and Jadon Sancho heading back to Manchester United following a loan spell.
A host of other players who spent last season on temporary stints away from Stamford Bridge are also in line to be auctioned off this summer.
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