Baba Rahman could return to Schalke on loan at the end of August as the German club monitor his recovery at Chelsea ahead of the new season, Goal understands.

The Ghanaian needed surgery after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last season at the African Cup of Nations against Uganda.

Chelsea have had meetings with the full-back as he steps up his training with ball work at Cobham Training Centre and will consider an approach from the Bundesliga club, so he can get back to his best.

The Blues are looking for wing-back options and they could fall back on using Rahman, but they are expecting to sign a big name as they struggle in their attempts to convince Alex Sandro to join from Juventus.

Rahman has drawn interest from other German clubs and a team in Italy but Schalke would be favoured by all parties as he aims to kickstart his career once again.

Chelsea have yet to see the best out of Rahman since his £22 million move in 2015 from Augsburg.