Chelsea teenager Josh Acheampong set to face Astana as Enzo Maresca confirms contract progress

Josh Acheampong is set to make his first Chelsea appearance in almost three months in tomorrow’s Conference League meeting with Astana as he closes on agreeing a new long-term deal.

Acheampong is one of the most highly-rated young talents to emerge from the club’s academy in recent seasons, but has recently been frozen out over a contact dispute.

The full-back has 18 months left on his existing deal and the Blues are keen for him to commit his future.

In a bid to force the issue, the club told Acheampong he would not be considered for selection while the stand-off continued and he has not been part of a first-team squad since coming off the bench in the September’s Carabao Cup tie against Barrow.

The 18-year-old was also left out of the club’s U21 side for the best part of three months until returning to the fold against Derby at the end of the November.

While no agreement has yet been reached over a new contract, negotiations are heading in the right direction and Acheampong has recently been reintegrated into Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad.

A host of star players will be spared the eight-hour flight to Kazakhstan for Thursday’s penultimate group stage fixture, with a number of Cobham graduates set to supplement Maresca’s usual cast of fringe players.

“He’s in the squad,” Maresca said of Acheampong. “And probably he’s going to play from the start.

“With Josh it’s quite clear. We all love Josh. The club loves Josh. I love Josh. And we are trying to find an agreement with the players. We are close. We are almost there.”