According to Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne would like to leave the club on a permanent basis. The paper claims that the youngster is planning to ask for a transfer in the near future, and that a number of clubs have shown interest in the player.

It should be noted that this report doesn't actually hint at a source, or make a claim that De Bruyne has already asked to leave. Whether or not they have any sort of legitimate knowledge of the situation is something we just don't know. The report would make some sense though, in that De Bruyne has been the odd man out of the attacking band thus far. If the player isn't going to feature, it's logical that he wants to go somewhere to play.

Regardless of whether or not there is any truth to this reporting, I have a hard time believing that the Blues would consider a move in January. Given the player's age, contract situation, and standing with the national team, it would seem to be a poor time to sell should they want to maximize a return. While it's certainly possible that a decision to sell the player will happen down the road, I just can't imagine a scenario where the club reach that decision in January.

I think the best scenario here would be for De Bruyne to get a few starts between now and the new year, and to perform well enough in those starts to earn himself more regular minutes. If he can't earn himself more minutes between now and the end of January, another loan spell where he'd be forced to work on the defensive side of his game would probably be in our best interest. It's hard to imagine there's enough animosity here that it can't be repaired with some time on the pitch, if there is actually anything to this report at all.