Chelsea plan to loan out Kurt Zouma as part of a defensive reshuffle that they hope will see Virgil van Dijk join the club in the summer.

Head coach Antonio Conte wants to make changes to his defensive options for next season, despite the fact Chelsea are on course for a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Southampton may yet play hardball over the fee for £50million-rated Van Dijk, who has also interested Arsenal and Liverpool, but Chelsea are confident an agreement will be reached.

With Andreas Christensen returning from a two-year loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, Chelsea need to make space in their squad for Van Dijk. Captain John Terry will leave at the end of the season and Chelsea believe Zouma is the most suitable defender to send out on loan.

The Frenchman missed almost a year after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury last February and has made 11 first-team appearances this season.