According to reports from The Northern Echo, Chelsea are set to sell promising striker Patrick Bamford to former loan club Middlesbrough in a £6million deal, potentially rising to £10million.

In the grand scheme of things, that may not seem like a particularly significant sum, considering Manchester United set a new world-record £90-odd-million transfer fee on midfielder Paul Pogba just a matter of months ago.

But scratch a little deeper, and this is a fantastic deal for Chelsea. They're picking up a potential £10million for a player they signed for just £1.5million five years ago, without issuing him a single first-team appearance in the meantime.

So how have the Blues added £8.5million to the 23-year-old's value? Loan spells, of course! Indeed, Bamford has spent the last half-decade as part of the west London outfit's globe-spanning loan army, most notably impressing in the Football League.

And he's by no means the first youngster to generate Chelsea a healthy profit despite hardly kicking a ball at senior level; the Blues famously picked up massive turnovers on Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, no matter how short-sighted their decisions to sell may now seem.

It all begs the question of who could be the next member of Chelsea's loan brigade to fetch the club a handsome fee. FootballFanCast take a look at THREE potential candidates...

Andreas Christensen

Chelsea are believed to have big plans for Andreas Christensen, but so do loan club Borussia Monchengladbach, who launched a £14.5million bid last summer, and apparent suitors Barcelona.

Those to have watched the Danish centre-back regularly since joining the Gladbach ranks on loan two summers ago won't be particularly surprised; he's gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, combining dogged displays with real quality on the ball.

That makes him a pretty strong candidate to join Chelsea's three-man back line next season, especially in one of the wider roles. But with so many clubs already circling the 20-year-old, the temptation to cash in on a youngster who may or may not reach his world-class potential could prove too great if a decent offer is put on Roman Abramovich's table.

Mario Pasalic

Mario Pasalic is the template Chelsea wish the entirety of their loan army would follow. Indeed, at just 21, the midfielder has already plied his trade in four different countries (five including England), scored in three major top flights (La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A), represented two of Europe's most iconic clubs in Monaco and AC Milan and picked up two caps for his country at senior level.

The engine-room ace hasn't exactly set the world alight at the San Siro this season, managing just nine top-flight appearances - albeit scoring once and laying on 1.1 created chances-per-match - but such a well-rounded CV inevitably adds to the Croatian youngster's value and with his current contract due to expire in 2018, the coming window could see Chelsea sell.

The only question mark, however, is whether the Blues will make a substantial profit on their original £3million investment.

Tammy Abraham

Home-grown starlet Tammy Abraham might be scoring for fun in the Championship, notching up 15 second-tier goals for Bristol City this season, but it wasn't long ago Patrick Bamford was boasting similar achievements at Middlesbrough.

Indeed, the step up to the top end of the Premier League proved too large for the Boro-born ace and the fact of the matter is that Abraham could go on to suffer a similar fate, especially with over £60million-worth of strike talent, Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi, currently above him in the pecking order.

Abraham offers what Bamford always lacked in terms of physicality but already a regular for England at junior level, with 21 youth caps under his belt, Chelsea will know they can place a premium on the 19-year-old after such a spectacular season. Those who gain promotion from the second tier will undoubtedly be interested.