Next Chelsea transfer decision as agreement reached after brutal U-turn

Facundo Buonanotte is understood to be close to joining Leeds United after failing to cement his place in the Chelsea squad in his first six months at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea star Facundo Buonanotte has verbally agreed to end his loan spell at Stamford Bridge and join Premier League side Leeds United, football.london understands.

Buonanotte joined the Blues on a season-long loan in the summer after seeming to be close to securing a move to Elland Road. The attacking playmaker has played just eight games this season, scoring just one goal.

The Argentine spent last season on loan at Leicester City, playing 35 times. However, his six goals and three assists didn't stop the club from being relegated. After signing under Enzo Maresca, Buonanotte started Liam Rosenior's first game in charge against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.

Buonanotte was left on the bench in Wednesday night's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Arsenal. Now, football.london understands that the 21-year-old will leave Stamford Bridge and spend the rest of the season at Leeds.

After snubbing a move to Leeds in the summer in favour of joining Chelsea, the two-time Argentina international said: "I'm very happy to join Chelsea. It's a great opportunity for me and I'm just looking to add as much to the squad as possible, help the team and help the staff."

He added: "What you want is to play so you can be in the Argentine national team, but when a club as big as Chelsea comes along, you can't say no. I wanted to take on this challenge to prove I'm up to it. (I'm) very happy and very comfortable. It's (the Premier League) the best league in the world. It never ceases to surprise you. Something different can happen every minute."

Buonanotte's exit will be the first transfer decision made under Rosenior. The Chelsea boss was confirmed as Maresca's replacement last week after impressing the club hierarchy with his performance at Strasbourg.

Reports have claimed that the club is prepared to give its new head coach a new defender in January, over the remaining two-and-a-half weeks. With Levi Colwill out for the season, the Blues opted against investing big on a new centre-back in the summer.

With Champions League football and Premier League fixtures expected to be juggled in the second half of the season, it's understood that Chelsea are looking at accelerating their plans to improve Rosenior's defence.

David Datro Fofana, Tyrique George, Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling have all also been linked with moves away. Kendry Paez has also attracted interest from England after his impressive displays at Strasbourg.