Conte gives green light for Chelsea defender to join Euro giants to make way for £50m defender

Conte gives green light for Chelsea defender to join Euro giants this summer

Antonio Conte has given the green light for Kurt Zouma to leave on a loan move at the end of the season according to reports in Turkey.

Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik claim that Conte is open to the idea of Zouma joining Galatasaray on loan.

Per the source, Conte is keen on Zouma gaining regular first-team experience to develop his game.

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Conte reportedly has held talks with his former Juventus teammate and current Galatasaray manager Igor Tudor over a mutually beneficial move over the summer.

The Blues manager is reported to be looking for a defensive replacement next season.

Galatasaray will be targeting loan moves this summer due to financial constraints.

The Lions have had some success loaning Premier League defenders over the past few seasons.

The Istanbul giants brought in Jason Denayer last season on a temporary move.

The Telegraph meanwhile report that the Blues are also preparing to loan Zouma but that they want to replace him with Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutch defender international has been valued at £50 million by the Saints.

Galatasaray are currently fourth in the Turkish league and will have to stay in the top four if they want to secure European football next season.

Who is Kurt Zouma?

Zouma is a promising 22-year-old centre-back but has struggled for regular playing time due to spending much of the season injured.

The 1.90m tall defender has made 15 appearances, playing 708 minutes in total this season.

The French international has another two-years remaining on his contract and has played on loan before, for Ligue 1 outfit St Etienne.