TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea will offer Omari Hutchinson a new contract and Ipswich Town want to keep the youngster on loan next season.
Hutchinson’s existing contract at Stamford Bridge is valid until 2025 and given how well he’s done while out on loan, the club are keen to keep him around for the foreseeable future.
Since joining Chelsea in 2022, the 20-year-old has made two senior appearances for the club, but this year has been his real breakthrough campaign.
In the summer, he joined newly-promoted Championship side Ipswich Town and he’s not looked back since. He spent the opening months of the season being utilised as an impact player and then since the turn of the year, he’s become a more regular starter.
In 43 league appearances, Hutchinson has scored nine goals and has provided five assists. Having played a total of 2,087 minutes, that’s an average of 149 minutes per goal contribution.
One of his best performances of the season came against fellow promotion challengers Hull City last month. The 20-year-old scored two superb goals and rightly received plenty of plaudits for his performance.
“He deserves it because he works really hard on his game,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told reporters after Hutchinson’s brace.
“He played two different roles in the game, causing a lot of problems, and he’s frustrated not to have got a third goal tonight. That’s him. He holds himself to high standards and if he keeps doing that he’ll do very well for himself.”
Heading into the final weekend of Championship action, Ipswich require just one point against Huddersfield Town to confirm their promotion to the Premier League.
McKenna’s side have been fantastic to watch all season long, having accumulated a whopping 93 points from 45 matches so far.
On the back of Hutchinson’s impressive spell with the Tractor Boys, TEAMtalk understands that Ipswich are keen to keep him around for next season, with another loan deal being the most likely outcome if he does return to Portman Road.
If Ipswich do manage to seal promotion to the Premier League, this could be the ideal opportunity for Hutchinson to make the next step in his career.
He’s already proven that he can cut the mustard in the Championship and a season-long loan to the Premier League could be the natural next step in his development.
While another loan deal to Ipswich is an option for Hutchinson this summer, the youngster will also be presented with some alternatives.
TEAMtalk sources have indicated that the Chelsea star also has some very good options to join clubs from around Europe.
Given the amount of players Chelsea tend to loan out each season, the club has strong connections with clubs around Europe which could open some doors for Hutchinson.
Still just 20 years old, the future looks very bright for Hutchinson. With Chelsea keen to offer the youngster a new contract, it’s clear that he’s highly rated within the club.