Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is believed to be interested in reuniting with Ruben Loftus-Cheek at Lazio.
The pair worked together during the Italian’s sole season – the 2018-19 campaign – at Stamford Bridge, with Sarri giving the midfielder the constant first-team minutes that he had been craving at the time.
Loftus-Cheek, who came through the Chelsea academy, blossomed under the stewardship of Sarri, featuring 40 times in all competitions and scoring 10 times.
The 29-year-old is now plying his trade for AC Milan in the Serie A – leaving his boyhood club two years ago – while the Italian coach has recently returned for a second stint as Lazio boss.
Sarri resigned from the club in March 2024, only to return in June after 15 months away, and now he has his sights on poaching Loftus-Cheek from the Rossoneri, according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
The 66-year-old coach is believed to have been interested in bringing Loftus-Cheek to the Stadio Olimpico during his first stint as boss, but he instead opted to move to Milan.
Maurizio Sarri is interested in signing Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who he coached at Chelsea, for Lazio
Loftus-Cheek currently plays for AC Milan but endured a difficult second season at the club
Sarri, 66, has recently returned to the Lazio dugout after 15 months away from the sport
Loftus-Cheek’s first season in Serie A was an impressive one after breaking from the cage of Stamford Bridge in search of more first-team minutes.
He thrived in the middle of the park under then-boss Stefano Pioli – who has since had a short and sour stint as Al-Nassr manager – becoming a mainstay in the Milan side.
However, his second season in the fashion capital of Italy did not prove so fruitful as he failed to register a single goal in a campaign disrupted by injury.
Now, the ex-Blues star needs rejuvenating and Sarri appears to want to give him a new lease of life once more.
Loftus-Cheek arrived at Cobham as an eight-year-old, going on to make 155 senior appearances after rising through the ranks, notching up 13 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.
However, due to injuries and competition for places, the Englishman never established himself as a regular and he was sent on loans to London rivals Crystal Palace and Fulham.
While once being tipped to become a legend in blue, Loftus-Cheek found it tough to break through a star-studded cast, and last year he admitted that he wished he left the club in his younger years in a bid to shine.
‘Being at Chelsea coming through, that was the case,’ he told The Times. ‘It was very difficult to play a lot of football. Even though you’re very talented, Chelsea can bring in another player who’s in their prime, just ready to go for millions.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek spent 19 years at boyhood club Chelsea before leaving in June 2023
His sole season under Sarri is regarded as his best in blue as he scored 10 goals in 40 games
But a series of injuries over the years hampered his progress while at his boyhood club
‘It is difficult as a young player coming through. But I think if the club has a way of liking and pushing home-grown players through, I think it can be easy.
‘I think if you’re a youngster, seven or eight years old, and you’ve signed with Chelsea, fantastic because it’s a great academy. And you’ll learn how to play football. And you’ll develop your skills there. A great coach is coaching you.
‘But it gets to a point, maybe at 15, 16, where you’re getting to that stage where it’s youth-team football.
‘And you might want to start thinking about going and playing somewhere else because it’s very difficult now to just go straight through. And the best way to develop is by playing games and playing men’s football.
‘And it’s easier to do that somewhere else at a lower club. And I feel like that’s what I missed out on, I think.’