Schalke sign Chelsea's Baba on loan

Last season, Baba made 23 appearances for Chelsea, 19 of them starts, including his debut in the Champions League, but has been sent on loan by new Chelsea coach Antonio Conte to Schalke, who finished fifth in Germany's top flight last season.

"Abdul is a strong attacking left back, one who I have a lot of faith in. He will fit in well here, because of his excellent attitude," said Schalke's coach Markus Weinzierl, who worked with Baba while he was on loan at Augsburg.

The 22-year-old spent the 2014/15 season with Augsburg, knows his way around German football after a stint with Greuther Fuerth, and has played 51 Bundesliga games, plus 24 matches in Germany's second tier.

Baba signed a five-year contract with Chelsea in 2015 and has made a total of 15 Premier League appearances for the Blues, featuring four times in the Champions League.

He was part of the Ghana side that reached the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, when his side lost to Ivory Coast on penalties.