REVEALED: Why Chelsea signed Luiz instead of recalling Christensen

The Blues have been criticised by some of panic buying on deadline day, but bringing the Danish starlet back to Stamford Bridge was an impossible option.

Andreas Christensen has been a revelation for Borussia Monchengladbach since joining on loan from Chelsea, leading to many Blues fans asking why he has not been recalled to his parent club.

Chelsea eventually signed David Luiz and Marcos Alonso on deadline day after struggling to sign defenders throughout the transfer window.

Christensen, meanwhile, has played a key role in the Bundesliga club’s ascent into the Champions League and is seen by many as the readymade first-team player among Chelsea’s 38-man strong loan army.

But Mills & Reeve’s sports lawyer, Tiran Gunawardena, has the lowdown on exactly why the Dane was never an option for Antonio Conte this summer.

“Chelsea may have wanted him to return this season, but there was a binding two-year loan agreement in place,” he told Goal. “When he went on loan to Monchengladbach, Christensen would have signed a separate employment contract with the German club.

“He couldn’t just return to Chelsea without Monchengladbach’s approval as Christensen and Chelsea would have been breaching that employment contract and loan contract respectively.”

Conte wants Christensen to return to Stamford Bridge when his loan deal finishes next season, but the youngster previously told Goal that he wants regular first team football upon his return.

Meanwhile, Gladbach are willing to make an offer to make his loan deal permanent and signing Luiz will likely prove less expensive for Chelsea than breaching their agreement with the German club.

“Breaching a contract like that could have serious consequences for the player and the club,” added Gunawardena.