The 24-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge in 2014 from Hajduk Split and has represented Croatia 10 times at senior level, most recently in his country’s 2-1 European Championship qualifying win over Wales and a friendly defeat to Tunisia.

Last season he helped Atalanta come third in Serie A, their highest league finish ever. They were also runners-up in the Coppa Italia.

In total, Pasalic appeared 42 times, scoring eight goals. He has previous loan experience in Spain, France and Russia.