Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is not going to stand in the way of Ruben Loftus-Cheek going on loan.

The English midfielder is desperate for regular game time, and has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea.

Aston Villa, Southampton and West Ham have all been linked with the 24-year-old.

Several summer signings for the Blues means competition for attacking and midfield spots is higher than ever.

While Lampard has faith in the player, he is open to letting him move on loan.

Lampard told reporters: "I am very open with Ruben. We have had a couple of conversations in the last week. He is as fit as a fiddle by the way, so he can play week in, week out and he needs to play.

"There is a possibility that Ruben may go out to play games, because that would be great for him. We hold him in very high regard here.

"If that is not the right option, he will be competitive in this squad as well because of the qualities he has and hopefully he could be a big plus for us.

"I would not say I am relaxed about it but I want to find the best path for Ruben and us. We will see, with the week we have ahead of us.

"He has had a difficult time, the injury he had was a bad one. He has not played as many minutes as he would have liked.

"Just before his injury he was playing really well, contributing and I was always looking forward to working with him because I know what he can do. We will make that decision on what is best for him and what is best for us.

"He wants to play. The reality is that I have a lot of competition in those areas. Ruben is very versatile. He can play different roles in midfield and sometimes off the sides."