CHELSEA'S forgotten man Baba Rahman is wanted by a host of clubs this summer with Middlesbrough and Reading leading the chase.
The Ghana international left-back cost the Blues £20million back in 2015 after signing from German side Augsburg.
But the 27-year-old has gone on to only make 15 Premier League appearances for Chelsea since and has spent most of his time at the club out on loan.
Two stints back in the Bundesliga at Schalke began his nomadic spell, before a spell in France with Reims and a season-long loan at Mallorca.
Rahman then joined PAOK for six months in January 2021 and enjoyed Greek Cup success but they failed to find the funds to keep him for last term.
Instead he stayed much closer to home and headed to Championship club Reading instead and played a key role in helping them to avoid relegation.
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Now is claiming that second tier rivals Middlesbrough were monitoring Rahman’s performances closely at the Royals and were greatly impressed.
Now boss Chris Wilder, who allowed left-back Neil Taylor to leave on a free this month, is plotting a swoop.
However, Reading also want to keep hold of the 5ft 11in ace while PAOK have also returned for him.
And another of Rahman’s old clubs, Augsburg, are also reportedly in the chase to try and secure his signature.
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Even though he has barely been there, Chelsea handed the player a new three-year extension last summer.
And that will ensure that they will still be able to command a decent transfer or loan fee for him.
The report states that Rahman is currently worth just £1.88m, but that the Blues will want more than that figure to make any deal possible.
The star's last outing for Chelsea was in May 2016 in a 1-1 draw against Leicester.
The defender played for Chelsea under former bosses Guus Hiddink and Jose Mourinho in the 2015-16 season, but soon fell down the pecking order for a starting place.