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According to Sky Sports, Chelsea striker Martell Taylor-Crossdale is edging closer to a move to Hoffenheim after flying to Germany to complete a medical.

What's the word?

Despite facing a transfer ban this summer, it appears Chelsea are still willing to let players leave Stamford Bridge. Just a week after Eden Hazard joined Real Madrid, the Blues are now on the verge of seeing Taylor-Crossdale leave west London too.

The report claims that after Chelsea made an initial offer to keep the 19-year-old, it was agreed by all parties that he could leave on a free transfer, thus paving the way for him to join Hoffenheim.

The 'Jadon Sancho regret'

With Gonzalo Higuain heading back to Juventus after a frankly abysmal time at Chelsea, the Blues are only really left with Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham as their front-line strikers. With the prospective transfer ban stopping them from going out and buying a replacement, this would have been the perfect time for Taylor-Crossdale to have been given the opportunity to shine as a potential rotational option.

The 6 ft 1 teenager was top scorer in the U18 Premier League in 2017 with 21 goals and has featured for England's youth sides from U16 level to U20.

However, the striker has found himself sidelined from potential first-team opportunities by Chelsea's previous insistence on going into the transfer market to find their next forward rather than relying on some of their academy talent. Having seen Premier League rivals Manchester City witness the pitfalls of letting some of their brightest young talent depart to join a side abroad, the Blues could be left to rue their decision to let Taylor-Crossdale go just like the Citizens have with Jadon Sancho.

The Borussia Dortmund star has grown in leaps and bounds in Germany where he's been given regular chances in the first-team and allowed to play in a system that encourages his creativity. At Hoffenheim, despite the impending departure of highly-rated manager Julian Nagelsmann, Taylor-Crossdale could similarly thrive in an environment that will place trust in him and reward him for good performances. The Blues may not see it now, but in a couple of years, the decision to let the 19-year-old go could come back to seriously haunt them.