Maurizio Sarri says there is ‘no chance’ that Ruben Loftus-Cheek will leave Chelsea on loan in January

Loftus-Cheek's playing time has been limited at Stamford Bridge, but Sarri wants him to stay and develop at the club

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will stay at the club in January, Maurizio Sarri confirmed.

The England international has had limited game time for the Blues with the new manager Sarri favouring either Ross Barkley or Mateo Kovavic in a midfield three with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.

Several clubs are interesting in signing Loftus-Cheek on loan in January, including Crystal Palace and West Ham, but Chelsea want the 22-year-old to continue his development in west-London.

"He has played in the Europa League and League Cup, some in the Premier League but not starting. At the moment he's very important for us," Sarri told reporters ahead of Wednesday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"He had some problems to understand what I wanted, but he is improving and in the last two matches I've been happy. I want him to stay so I think there's no chance (of him leaving)."

Loftus-Cheek has scored five goals in nine appearances so far this season, including a hat-trick against BATE Borisov and Chelsea’s second in their 2-0 win against Fulham on Sunday.

The young midfielder told the reports on Sunday: “My mind-set is when I get the opportunity to play, whether it is the Europa League or Premier League, I have got to do my best and try and make stuff happen, but also do what the manager asks me to do defensively.”

Interest in the 22-year-old from other clubs has been apparent. After playing just 33 minutes in the first 10 league matches, Crystal Palace were looking to bring the midfielder in on loan for a second time after a successful stint at Selhurst Park last season. However, a string of good performances has convinced him manager to put some trust in him.

“I am here right now, I am at Chelsea and I want to focus on helping the team,” said Loftus-Cheek. “When I am on the pitch I can’t have any negative thoughts when I am in and around the team because it will affect the team. So my head right now is on playing for Chelsea and learning Sarri’s way. Individually and as a team, that’s all I can do at the moment.

“It is a difficult period coming up where we have to be fully focused. There’s loads of games, so loads of rotation, so we all need to be ready physically and mentally for this. It is all a learning curve, so I am just really focused and aware on what I need to learn.”