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Chelsea are reportedly facing the threat of a two-year transfer ban following a FIFA investigation into their signing of foreign U18 players. If the alleged ban is imposed then it will of course have a massive impact on the Blues going forward and Maurizio Sarri would have to look to the players at his disposal and within the whole squad. The Blues currently have 40 players out on loan around the world, which gives the Italian boss something of a large pool of players to pick from. But who are the five players that could well benefit from any potential ban imposed on the Blues? Kurt Zouma On loan club: Everton Chelsea have two players that are coming towards the end of their contracts in David Luiz and Gary Cahill and, especially with the latter, the Blues might be willing to move on from them. Zouma was a stand-out defender before his awful injury back in 2016, but on his return he found it difficult to break back into the side with the Blues pushing for the title under Antonio Conte. The 24-year-old spent last season out on loan with Stoke City and this season he is playing under Marco Silva at Everton, becoming a regular at Goodison Park. A transfer ban could well get him back into the fold and be a crucial member of the squad, having signed a new six-year deal in the summer of 2017. Reece James On loan club: Wigan Athletic The right-back position at Chelsea is a curious thing right now. Cesar Azpilicueta has not been at his highly-consistent best this season, however he continues to be an important player for the Blues and continues to captain the side in Cahill’s absence. However, Davide Zappacosta is also not pushing him for a place in the starting XI and the Blues could do worse than offloading the Italian and bringing Reece James back into the mix. The 18-year-old is having a superb spell on loan at Wigan Athletic in the Championship and won the fans’ Player of the Month award for two months in a row. Last season’s Chelsea Academy Player of the Year winner certainly has a bright future ahead of him, and any transfer ban might well propel that sooner rather than later. Mason Mount On loan club: Derby County There aren’t many other loan players out there at the moment that are getting talked about as much as Mason Mount right now. The midfielder had an excellent start to life with Derby County, taking his form from Vitesse through to his time in the Championship and also earning himself a call-up to the senior England side. Gianfranco Zola claimed that the 19-year-old is a ‘player for us’ and he certainly has the technical ability to become one of Sarri’s three midfielders should he look to one-day use him. Mount’s ability on the ball and from dead-ball situations makes him a real asset that the Blues could use, and something that, transfer ban or not, Sarri make look at next season. Tiemoue Bakayoko On loan club: AC Milan This is going to be a contentious one for many Chelsea fans who were not impressed at all with Tiemoue Bakayoko’s debut
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