Ghanaian, Michael Essien is in his eighth season with Chelsea but his time with the Blues seems to be drawing to a close. After loaning him out to Madrid last season, Chelsea are ready to permanently offload the 31-year-old despite him linking up once again with Mourinho.

The former Real Madrid manager, who coached Essien last season in Spain, has only sporadically used the combative midfielder. In fact, Essien has just made four appearances in the league so far and he is no longer the dynamic midfielder of before.

After agreeing a deal for Nemanja Matic from Benfica, Mourinho is ready to sell Essien with interest mounting from Italy. According to The Sun, Benitez is interested in a move for the Chelsea midfielder who has one-and-a-half years left on his contract.

There was interest originating from AC Milan but their current predicament in the league has seen Napoli become favourites for his signature. Essien is also not cup-tied in Europe which makes him an even more attractive prospect for potential suitors.

So it looks like the once Chelsea favourite will be moving on? Should Mourinho really let him go?