Chelsea set to make £15m loss on Danny Drinkwater as midfielder edges towards exit

He spent just one season at Chelsea

Danny Drinkwater is edging closer to leaving Chelsea after just one season as new manager Maurizio Sarri looks to shake up the midfield. The midfielder joined last summer from Leicester City after the departure of Nemanja Matić but failed to break into the first team ahead of Cesc Fàbregas. The former Premier League winner now looks destined to returned to his former club Leicester for a fee of around £20m, according to TEAMtalk. He cost Chelsea £35m last summer but only started five league games for Chelsea and missed out on going to the World Cup after an injury ravaged season. Drinkwater played a key role in Leicester City's title winning campaign in 2015/16 from the base of midfield with N'Golo Kanté, who is set to become Chelsea's best paid player. Reuniting the pair was part of the thinking behind signing Drinkwater in the first place but it hasn't worked out as planned. Now that Chelsea have signed Jorginho from Napoli, there is very little chance of Drinkwater getting any game time at Stamford Bridge and a return to Leicester would suit all parties. A fee of £20m also represents excellent value in the current market. The Foxes will certainly come out of this deal with the better deal, re-signing a player they coped without for £15m less than they sold him for just one year ago. Newcastle, Southampton and Crystal Palace all inquired about Drinkwater's availability too, but the player seems to prefer a return to the King Power Stadium.