Lewis Baker renewed his Chelsea contract on Thursday night while also agreeing a two-year loan move to Middlesbrough, having been given assurances over playing time by coach Gary Monk.
Middlesbrough have beaten a host of clubs such as Reading, Birmingham City and Aston Villa to sign Baker.
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The England Under 21 international also had offers from the Premier League, but he was not convinced he would get enough chances to play.
Instead, he is dropping to the Championship to replace Marten De Roon, who made a £13m move back to Serie A side Atalanta.
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Baker was being kept around at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea's midfield options look paper thin ahead of the new season, with Cesc Fabregas and N'Golo Kante the only two fit central midfielders currently available.
Antonio Conte watched Baker in pre-season after he returned from a successful two-year loan spell at Vitesse and allowed him to feature against Bayern Munich as they toured China and Singapore.
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The Chelsea manager is now pushing for the club to secure another midfielder and is looking at Everton's Ross Barkley, Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater.
He wants the Blues to sign several more experienced players during the transfer window to help the Premier League champions compete on all fronts next season.
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