Kakuta heads for Fulham

Fellow youngster Patrick van Aanholt was also set to be allowed to move on a temporary transfer, with Leicester a possible destination.

Cottagers boss Mark Hughes last week revealed his interest in 19-year-old winger Kakuta, who last month signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract at Chelsea.

Hughes said on Friday: "He's a player I know and I like the qualities he has."

The same day saw Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti reveal he was still considering whether to farm out Kakuta, widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the game when he joined the club from Lens in 2007.

"We are thinking about if it's good for a young player to have experience on loan for six months," said Ancelotti at the time.

Frenchman Kakuta has made 16 appearances for Chelsea but only five starts and was an unused substitute in Monday's 4-0 Barclays Premier League win over Bolton.

He would doubtless benefit from regular first-team action, as would Van Aanholt, who has also been used sparingly this season. The 20-year-old left-back spent most of last term on loan at Coventry and Newcastle.

The Dutchman has also been touted as a possible makeweight in Chelsea's pursuit of David Luiz, who was still a Benfica player on Tuesday night, less than a week before the transfer window closes.

Slobodan Rajkovic and Nemanja Matic, currently at Vitesse Arnhem on season-long loans from Stamford Bridge, have been mentioned as alternative options for the Portuguese club.