Chelsea and Celtic discuss loan deal for defender Landon Emenalo

Chelsea and Celtic are in negotiations over a loan deal for 18-year-old left-back Landon Emenalo following his visit to the Scottish club’s training ground on Wednesday.

The highly-rated Cobham academy graduate travelled to Lennoxtown as the two sides work towards an agreement for his first senior temporary switch.

Interest from the Glasgow giants comes after the teenager delivered a string of impressive performances during pre-season tours of Australia and Asia.

Cover for Kieran Tierney

Celtic are actively seeking defensive reinforcements to support Kieran Tierney, whose playing time is currently being managed due to persistent injury problems.

The promising full-back, who is the son of former Blues technical director Michael Emenalo, strongly caught the eye of new Stamford Bridge boss Xabi Alonso this summer.

His forward-thinking displays had even sparked debate about him remaining in West London to fill the void left by Marc Cucurella’s recent departure to Real Madrid.

Chavarria arrival clears path

Any chance of the prospect staying in the English capital was ultimately dashed by the £18m arrival of Spanish defender Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano.

Moving north of the border would provide the young talent with invaluable first-team experience ahead of a potential future breakthrough in the Premier League.

Emenalo is not the only emerging star poised to temporarily depart the club before the transfer deadline.

Academy exodus continues

Fellow academy prospects Reggie Walsh and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen are currently finalising respective loan moves to Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth.

Furthermore, highly-regarded striker Shim Mheuka is expected to secure a temporary move elsewhere whilst concurrently negotiating a lucrative contract extension with his parent club.