Malaga agree to take Chelsea's Piazon on loan
Reuters - Wednesday 16 January 2013, 13:32
Malaga have agreed to take Chelsea's promising Brazilian midfielder
Lucas Piazon on loan until the end of the season and the 18-year-old is
eligible to play for them in the Champions League, the La Liga club said
on Wednesday.
The deal does
not include an option to buy Piazon, who turns 19 on Sunday and has a
contract with the English Premier League side and European champions
until 2017.
"[Coach] Manuel
Pellegrini can deploy him for Malaga CF in the UEFA Champions League as
he was registered and even on the bench for Chelsea during the
competition but was not used," Malaga said in a statement on their
website.
Sao
Paulo-born Piazon made his Chelsea debut in September in a League Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and first appeared
for the club in the league in last month's 8-0 win against Aston Villa.
He helped Chelsea win the FA Youth Cup last season and was voted the club's Young Player of the Year.
He
will give Pellegrini an extra attacking option in midfield as they seek
to advance past Porto to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on
their debut in Europe's elite club competition.
Malaga
are fifth in La Liga after Sunday's defeat at home to unbeaten leaders
Barcelona and play at Barca later on Wednesday in a King's Cup
quarter-final first leg.
Piazon
has not travelled with the rest of the squad and will be presented at
the club's Rosaleda stadium on Thursday, Malaga added.