The striker came close to joining Fulham on transfer deadline day, and was the subject of interest from a number of other clubs, including Roma.
That is despite George having made several first-team appearances for Chelsea this season, and having been chosen ahead of summer signing João Pedro to start the Champions League game at home to Benfica.
The problem for George is that Chelsea regard him primarily as a winger, and that is one position where they are already more than well-stocked, with the likes of Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho, and Estêvão Willian who recently scored the winner in their dramatic Premier League victory over Liverpool.
And that just makes George surplus to requirements, and a saleable asset with a proven market value. The fact also that he is an academy graduate means that any sale proceeds he generates can be treated by Chelsea as pure profit for accounting purposes.