The 24-year-old, who spent temporary spells with Leeds and Reading last season, heads to the Bundesliga outfit for the 2019-20 campaign
Chelsea midfielder Lewis Baker has joined Fortuna Dusseldorf on a season-long loan, joining Ethan Ampadu as the latest face deemed surplus to requirements under new manager Frank Lampard.
The 24-year-old spent the 2018-19 campaign away from Stamford Bridge with two different temporary spells, spending time in the Championship with both Leeds and Reading.
The Blues are currently contending with a transfer ban, leaving Lampard, who succeeded Maurizio Sarri in the hot seat at the London club following the Italian’s exit, with limited options in his first season in charge.
The former Derby boss has fielded a number of youngsters during pre-season so far, including former Rams loanee Mason Mount, but Baker has only made one limited appearance.
Now, he will spend the 2019-20 year away in the Bundesliga with Dusseldorf , who impressed last season in their first campaign back in the top flight following promotion, achieving a 10th-place finish.
“I am very happy that it has finally worked out after the negotiations in recent days,” Baker stated.
“I cannot wait to join my new team and meet everyone. It will be an exciting challenge for me to play in the Bundesliga. For me, the Bundesliga is one of the top leagues in the world.”
An England youth international, Baker was a member of the squad that won the Toulon Tournament in 2016, where he won the Golden Boot.
However, he has been unable to force his way into the reckoning of a succession of Chelsea managers, making a lone FA Cup appearance under Jose Mourinho in 2014 and failing to feature in a competetive game for Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri among others.
Subsequently, he has spent time with half-a-dozen other sides, including Sheffield Wednesday, Milton Keynes Dons and Middlesbrough, along with a two-year spell with Eredivisie club Vitesse, the latter of which he won the KVNB Cup with.
He will face off against fellow Blues team-mate and Wales international Ampadu, who has agreed a temporary switch to RB Leipzig for the year too.
Chelsea face a trip to Manchester United in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, following which they meet Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.
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