Chelsea make fresh Omari Kellyman decision - Cardiff City, Derby County and Stoke should be on red alert | OneFootball

Omari Kellyman is set to spend next season back out on loan, and these three Championship clubs should be throwing their names in the hat

Omari Kellyman's short-term future is once again set to be away from Chelsea, as the highly-rated 20-year-old has been touted for yet another loan move.

This month marks two years since Kellyman made the switch from Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge, with the Premier League giants paying an eyebrow-raising £19 million for the young attacking midfielder's services.

The talented 20-year-old is yet to make a senior appearance for the Blues, and last year spent the campaign on loan in League One with Cardiff City, scoring 11 goals in 36 third-tier appearances to help Brian Barry-Murphy's side secure promotion back to the Championship.

And, as the Bluebirds make the rise to the second tier, perhaps Kellyman will be, too, as The Athletic reported in their latest transfer deal sheet that the highly-rated midfielder "will go out on loan again," with clubs in the Championship and in Europe already registering interest.

If the English second tier does prove to be his destination, then these three teams should waste no time in throwing their names in the hat to secure him for the 2026/27 term.

Cardiff City

Arguably, the most sensible option this summer for Kellyman would be to make a return to a familiar setting and help Cardiff remain in the second tier in their first season back under Brian Barry-Murphy.

The 20-year-old did struggle to fit in somewhat in the opening half of the season in the Welsh capital, offering glimpses of real quality without knitting it all together. But when Yousef Salech went down with a neck injury in a January matchup with Stockport County, he was deployed as a false nine striker and began to find his feet.

A goal and an assist in his opening game up top against Barnsley kicked off a run of nine goals in 18 games, a record of a goal every other game, and if he could continue that form into the Championship, the Bluebirds likely wouldn't have to worry about relegation.

With Salech likely to resume his position as the main line leader, having Kellyman play off of him with his goal threat would make opposition defences have to worry about two different ways that Cardiff can hurt them, which can only be a positive for the Bluebirds heading into their first campaign back in the second tier.

Capable of leading the line, pulling strings in attacking midfield or even offering width on the right-hand side, Kellyman's positional flexibility and multi-faceted skillset - one which combines creative ball-carrying with a goal threat and the physical edge offered by the youngster's imposing, lanky frame - made him a vital asset in City's promotion push and supporters would love to see a return to the Welsh capital.

Stoke City

The attacking midfield position at Stoke City this past season was a real weak point, with Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley not getting a look-in in the first half of the season, and Jun-ho Bae having a bit of a down year after a couple of solid campaigns in the last two terms.

Indeed, the majority of the attacking quality at the bet365 Stadium came out wide, with Sorba Thomas putting himself back in the spotlight as one of the better widemen in the division, and Million Manhoef chipping in with 12 goal contributions, too.

There'll be a struggle, you'd expect, to keep both of them at the club this summer, especially Thomas, but if their creativity can be replaced by, or even added with, the addition of Kellyman this summer, Mark Robins' side could be dangerous going forward next year.

Plus, with the 20-year-old's exploits as a striker in 2026, Stoke could bring Kellyman in to help add competition at the top end of the pitch, another position where the Potters struggled in 2025/26.

Milan Smit only managed two goals during his loan spell, and despite his loan move being made permanent at the culmination of the season, he simply cannot be the only main option up top for Mark Robins next year.

Derby County

Cardiff may not be the only Championship side that should orchestrate a return for Kellyman, though, as Derby County could orchestrate a return to Pride Park for the 20-year-old, who was born in Derby and came through the academy before his move to Aston Villa.

The attacking midfielder spent 10 years in the youth system before making a switch to Villa Park aged just 16 back in 2022, and was actually an unused substitute in Derby's 3-2 win over Bournemouth in the Championship back in November 2021.

The Rams were in administration at the time, and a move to Villa was likely a more attractive move for him, while also allowing Derby to bank some much-needed compensation during their time of peril.

Now, though, the Rams are back on the rise and have play-off aspirations for next season after coming up short in 2025/26. Unfortunately, though, a lot of their top performers, especially in midfield, were on loan at Pride Park and may not return.

If Derby have to pivot away from a permanent deal for Sammie Szmodics, who had the attacking midfield role locked down during his loan spell from Ipswich Town, then a returning Kellyman should be right atop their shortlist.

John Eustace has already shown that he can get the best out of young midfielders at Pride Park, with Bobby Clark being nominated for the Championship's Young Player of the Season last term.

Chelsea, therefore, will know that the 20-year-old would be in good hands back at Derby, and will be playing regularly for a competitive side in and amongst the play-off race, which would only serve to better his chances of making it back at Stamford Bridge.