Schalke have confirmed they are in talks with Chelsea to secure the return of Baba Rahman to the Bundesliga.

Rahman spent the first half of last season on loan with the German giants but was forced to bring his stay to a premature end after tearing ligaments in his knee during the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 23-year-old has since been recovering with the Chelsea squad but has yet to make an appearance despite having returned to training, leading Schalke to revive interest that had also seen them pursue a loan move in August.

“We’re in talks with Chelsea regarding Baba Rahman,” Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel said.

“There are still one or two things to clear up on their end.

“We could agree on a deal with the player himself relatively quickly.”

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has previously spoken of a desire “from a human aspect” to “give him an opportunity to come back strong like before” but his hopes of featuring in the Blues first-team are slim.

Rahman has made just 23 appearances since his £14million move to Chelsea in August 2015 and none since Conte’s appointment.