Chelsea sends Charly Musonda on 18-month loan to Celtic

Charly Musonda will take the next step of his footballing education on loan at Celtic until the end of the 2018-19 season.

The attacking midfielder made three substitute cameos in the Premier League this season, and is a product of Chelsea's relentless youth programme. He is contracted to the Blues until 2022, and previously appeared 24 times in La Liga for Real Betis in a one-year loan stay that spanned two campaigns.

His temporary spell in Glasgow will see him join a legion of promising youngsters under Brendan Rodger's watch, including ex-Manchester City academy lad Olivier Ntcham, left-back Kieran Tierney, and French artilleryman Moussa Dembele.

Celtic is 11 points clear at the Scottish Premiership's summit, and faces Hearts in Parkhead on Tuesday.