Chelsea ace Gilmour 'preparing to leave' as first Thomas Tuchel transfer plotted

Chelsea wonderkid Billy Gilmour is set to be the first player to depart Stamford Bridge under Thomas Tuchel’s reign, reports suggest.

German boss Tuchel is set to be confirmed as the club’s new head coach today after Frank Lampard was sacked.

The former Paris Saint-Germain manager is set to have the rest of the January transfer window to make changes and offload players he doesn’t see as part of his plans.

And it seems Gilmour will be the first player Chelsea will allow to leave this month, with the young Scotsman set to leave on loan.

According to Todofichajes, Lampard wanted to keep the teenage midfielder around for the rest of the season and was reluctant to let him go.

Lampard even hinted as such after the Blues beat Luton Town in the FA Cup on Sunday, and said he wanted to keep him around.

But with the change of manager set to be confirmed, Stamford Bridge officials have apparently decided to reverse that decision.

Numerous Premier League clubs are looking at him, with Aston Villa, Wolves, West Brom and Crystal Palace all interested.

Gilmour has barely featured for Chelsea this season and has only made two appearances in the league.

He came into the current season still dealing with his knee injury he suffered earlier last year.

But despite recovering, he still faced a difficult task in getting regular first-team minutes, with N’Golo Kante, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Matteo Kovacic and Jorginho all ahead of him in the pecking order.

And it seems a loan move is seen as the best option for the teenager in order to get him some regular first-team minutes.

Ultimately, Tuchel will make the final decision once his appointment is confirmed, which is expected to be later today after he flies into London to put pen to paper.