Kevin De Bruyne Set to Discuss Potential Transfer from Chelsea to Wolfsburg

The agent of Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Patrick de Koster, has told Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung he is to hold talks with Wolfsburg over a possible January move for his client.

Per ESPNFC's Stephan Uersfeld, de Koster stated there has been no contact with any Bundesliga club at present, but he will look to hold talks if a January move is required.

De Koster is quoted as saying:

"

For Kevin, the competition at Chelsea is bigger than at Bremen. All the same, he played well in pre-season but now it appears Jose Mourinho has other plans.

If Kevin needs to find a new club in January, we’ll talk to [Wolfsburg general manager] Klaus Allofs. Klaus is a friend. We worked on the deal between Chelsea and Bremen, and that was a good deal for everyone involved.

"

The Belgian midfielder arrived back at Chelsea this summer off the back of a fine season at Werder Bremen and appeared to be in consideration for a major first-team role.

However, with the late-August signings of Willian and Samuel Eto'o, De Bruyne slipped down the pecking order for an attacking midfield role. He was later sent to train with the club's under-21 side after a poor Capital One Cup display against Swindon, per the Independent.

De Bruyne himself told the Independent's Sam Wallace in late September that he hopes to fight for a place with the Blues, but he will soon worry about his World Cup 2014 place if first-team opportunities fail to arrive.

Given that both Andre Schuerrle and Eden Hazard have been in inconsistent form, De Bruyne will doubtless feel he has been singled out for blame by Mourinho when others are perhaps equally deserving.

Mourinho, though, has been ruthless since his return to Stamford Bridge, with the club's Player of the Season, Juan Mata, sidelined for long periods of the campaign thus far.

De Bruyne can seek to emulate the Spaniard and fight for a place, but it would seem unlikely that—even if back in favour—he would receive adequate playing time ahead of next summer's World Cup in Brazil.

He has a fine reputation in Germany and, given his agent's contacts, that would seem the most likely destination for a further loan move. Decisions over his long-term future can be left for now, but De Bruyne is too good to spend the rest of the campaign playing at under-21 level.

Questions continue to arise over whether Chelsea are getting the best out of the significant investment they have made in young talent, with an astonishing number of very capable players—Romelu Lukaku among them—out on loan.

De Bruyne has performed well at a high level of both club and international football, yet the club felt the need to invest in several new attacking options this summer. As a young player who had performed so well on loan, that must be particularly disheartening.