Chelsea look to seal ‘farm club’ deal with Belgian side Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz to capitalise on new FA work permit rules

Chelsea are continuing talks with Belgian team Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz to use them as a ‘farm club’ as Premier League sides look to explore loopholes in the FA’s new work permit rules.

Standard Sport understands that the Blues are hopeful of tying up a formal agreement with the Pro League outfit in the coming weeks. They would then begin loaning new signings to them so they can earn passports to play in England.

Mouscron-Peruwelz play in the top division and are seen as an ideal choice for a variety of reasons. The Belgian town is less than 30 minutes from Lille, meaning it is easy to reach, and their recent history makes them susceptible to a large influx of players on a temporary basis.

The club were formed in 2010 as a result of a merger between RRC Peruwelz and Mouscron, the latter having declared themselves bankrupt.

Interestingly, Manchester City are believed to have offered to pay £3 million to solve the team’s financial problems in return for becoming a feeder club but the deal was never completed. Instead, Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz were created but the club rely heavily on loanees with the squad containing several players from Lille and Club Brugge.

It is understood that they only plan to retain a handful of players on a permanent basis next season.

The club have a good academy but the real allure for Premier League sides is the ability to move non-EU players to a competitive level while they qualify for a work permit.

New rules which came into force on May 1 have tightened regulations on non-EU players working in England as part of FA chairman Greg Dyke’s mission to increase the number of English players in top-flight football.

Non-EU players are required to have played a certain number of international matches over the previous 24 months on a sliding scale depending on the country’s FIFA ranking. That reference period is reduced to 12 months for players under the age of 21 but clubs face a more difficult task in attracting young overseas talent to England.

Players can, however, earn an EU passport if they play at a European club for three years.

Chelsea had a similar arrangement with Vitesse Arnhem and have used the loan system to maximum effect with no fewer than 30 players sent out on a temporary basis this season.