Chelsea are excited about the prospect of beginning a formal relationship with French club Marseille.

Reports suggest the Blues are keen to set up an agreement with the Ligue 1 outfit which would see them loan out their talented youngsters.

Chelsea have a similar partnership with Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem but it is believed the newly-crowned Premier League champions want their more gifted players to develop at a higher level than the Eredivisie.

Presently, the Blues have a trio of players on loan at Vitesse consisting of Brazilian full-back Wallace, Burkina Faso winger Bertrand Traore and English midfielder Josh McEachran.