Aston Villa are interested in signing Ethan Ampadu on a season-long loan from Chelsea if the 18-year-old becomes available this summer. Ampadu, who played more for his country than his club last season, is set to be targeted by Villa should Chelsea decide that the Wales international would benefit from playing regular first-team football elsewhere for a year.

Ampadu, who joined Chelsea from Exeter City two years ago, is highly rated and several other clubs are monitoring his potential availability – something that will only become clear once Maurizio Sarri’s replacement at Stamford Bridge has had an opportunity to assess the squad.

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Villa could be an attractive proposition for Chelsea and Ampadu, given the style of football that the Midlands club play under Dean Smith and the fact John Terry is part of their coaching staff. Terry, the former Chelsea captain, knows Ampadu after training with him last summer, when he returned to Cobham before announcing his retirement later in the year.

Able to play in defence or central midfield, Ampadu is composed on the ball and has a superb range of passing. He is also a combative presence. Those attributes, allied with his versatility, means that he will have plenty of suitors if Chelsea allow him to go out on loan. Villa were among a number of Championship clubs to inquire about taking him last season but Sarri was adamant that he wanted the teenager to remain part of Chelsea’s first-team squad throughout the campaign.

Despite that stance, Sarri gave Ampadu only three starts for Chelsea – two in the FA Cup and one in the Europa League – and not a single run-out in the Premier League, leaving many to question why the youngster had not been allowed to gain valuable first-team experience in the Championship. Indeed, Ampadu ended up playing more matches and minutes for Wales last season than Chelsea.

The prospect of Frank Lampard replacing Sarri as manager at Chelsea does open the door to the possibility of Ampadu being given more opportunities, especially as the club face a two-window transfer ban. It is also worth noting that Lampard tried and failed to sign Ampadu on loan at Derby in January. Yet, realistically, it is still hard to see Ampadu playing regularly for Chelsea over the next 12 months and in that respect a loan move may well end up being viewed as the best option for his development, particularly given the desire to avoid a repeat of last season.