Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea worth £120,000-a-week.
The 23-year-old is a product of a productive academy system at Stamford Bridge.
He was denied the regular opportunities he craved upon stepping up into the senior ranks, leading to him spending 2017-18 on loan at Crystal Palace.
Maurizio Sarri was, however, to show plenty of faith in him and 40 appearances were taken in across all competitions last season, while recording a personal-best 10 goals.
Loftus-Cheek saw his campaign end on a low as he suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury which kept him out of a Europa League final win and the Nations League finals with England.
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He is, however, held in high regard by club and country and is delighted to have committed to fresh terms, telling Chelsea’s official website: “I’m really happy and pleased that I get to stay here for another five years.
“It’s the place where I’ve grown up playing and hopefully I’ll be playing here for a lot longer.
“At eight or nine years old, of course you never think you’ll be here for so long because you just want to enjoy yourself and play with your friends.
“When I look back and see how the hard work has paid off, it’s a good feeling. That only makes me want to work harder to achieve more in the future.
“I hope to win a lot more trophies with the team and personally it’s just about trying to do as well as I can and work hard to be a key player for Chelsea.”
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Loftus-Cheek had less than two years left to run on his previous £60,000-a-week deal and has seen his impressive development rewarded, with sources close to talks having revealed earlier in the week that a new contract was close.
His salary with the Blues has been more than doubled a matter of hours after club legend Frank Lampard returned to west London as successor to Sarri.
Blues director Marina Granovskaia has added on the agreement: “We see Ruben as an important part of the squad for many years to come and we are very pleased he also considers his future to be with Chelsea.
“He is proof of the fantastic work being done in the Chelsea academy and in recent seasons has developed into a first-team regular and an England international.
“Under Frank Lampard’s leadership, we believe he will be a key player for Chelsea and we look forward to welcoming him back once he has recovered from his injury.”
With Loftus-Cheek wrapped up, and the club working under a two-window transfer embargo, Callum Hudson-Odoi is next in line for fresh terms.
He is another currently nursing an Achilles injury, but Chelsea are eager to secure the future of an 18-year-old forward who has been heavily linked with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.