'Chelsea are blocking potential loan moves' - Mbuyamba's agent worried about defender's progression

The Blues defender is keen to exit the Cobham academy in search of first-team football, according to his agent

Chelsea defender Xavier Mbuyamba's agent has come out in frustration after seeing a host of loan options blocked in the January transfer window.

The Blues are said to have blocked the 20-year-old's options in favour of helping their struggling Under-23s team, which is in danger of being relegated in Premier League 2 after a rare poor season at youth level.

The Netherlands Under-19s international was signed by Chelsea from Barcelona in 2020. However, the Blues have been aware of him since he made his men's senior debut at Dutch minnows Maastricht at the age of 16.

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What has been said?

Carlos Barros from Prestige Sports, Mbuyamba's agent, told GOAL: "We have had talks with Chelsea about Xavier's future all month.

"There is a difference of opinion, to be honest. We feel that he is best served by going on loan but they want to keep him to help their Under-23s who are struggling.

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"We are a bit frustrated because we have options in the UK and Dutch Eredivisie but they are currently being blocked.

"We just wanted to be open about the situation because we feel like the situation may slow down his development as a player."

The Blues have roughly six days left to decide whether they agree with Barros's stance and are willing to loan their talent. The winter transfer window in England closes at midnight on 31 January.

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How has Mbuyamba been since joining Chelsea?

The young central defender who is often likened to Virgil van Dijk due to his size and ability on the ball, has been faced with a number of challenges since arriving in west London.

Since signing for the club, Mbuyamba had to wait almost a year for his debut following a setback in his recovery from injury.

He made his debut at youth level for the club in April 2021 and made it onto Thomas Tuchel's first-team bench for the only time in the Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, as the Blues have struggled at the Under-23s level, he has seen his performances show the same inconsistency as many of his peers.

It comes after several of the Blues's best talents were poached by other clubs with more than half a dozen leaving for other academies and first teams.

The most notable players to leave were Southampton's Tino Livramento and Leeds United's Lewis Bate, who have been able to make an impact at the senior level already.

Mbuyamba has since seen homegrown star Xavier Simons picked ahead of him in cup competitions and is hopeful the Blues change their mind in the final days of the transfer window.

Elsewhere in the academy, the Blues are aiming to avoid losing their star academy player Harvey Vale who has had an open dialogue over a new deal for several months.