A loan deal has been agreed for Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte for the remainder of the season, cutting short his disappointing spell at Chelsea.
Facundo Buonanotte has joined Leeds on loan, ending his disappointing spell at Chelsea.
The Argentine playmaker, who spent the previous season on loan at Leicester City, joined Chelsea in the summer after his parent club, Brighton, agreed to a £2 million loan fee.
Facundo Buonanotte celebrates a goal for Leicester
However, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder struggled for opportunities at Stamford Bridge, making just eight appearances for the Blues.
Buonanotte’s only Premier League outing came back in September, and his final appearance in a Chelsea shirt was in new manager Liam Rosenior’s first game, a 5-1 FA Cup victory over Charlton last weekend.
With first-team action unlikely under Rosenior, Brighton and Chelsea terminated the existing loan agreement, paving the way for his move to Elland Road.
According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, Buonanotte is scheduled for a medical and could be available for Leeds’ upcoming match against Fulham on Saturday.
The midfielder was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s 3-2 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Arsenal on Wednesday. In that match, Rosenior’s decision to bring on Alejandro Garnacho paid off, as the Argentine winger scored twice to keep Chelsea’s hopes alive in the tie.
Chelsea appeared to be heading for a heavy defeat after an early Ben White header and a second-half strike from Viktor Gyokeres gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead.
Garnacho was introduced in the 53rd minute and pulled a goal back just four minutes later.
Although Martin Zubimendi restored Arsenal’s two-goal cushion, Garnacho struck again from a corner in the final minutes to set up a tense second leg at the Emirates Stadium on February 3.