Championship and League One clubs have made contact with Chelsea over a loan move for, left footed centre back, Bashir Humphreys this month, according to Football Insider.

Charlton Athletic are in need of a left sided centre back, and building a relationship with a club like Chelsea, who have such a productive academy, would be a smart move in the longer term.

Humphreys looks like a player who is destined to become a Premier League regular at some stage in his career, but at 19, half a season worth of first team experience in the EFL would go a long way.

Dean Holden has been flexible between three and four at the back formations since taking the reins from Ben Garner at The Valley, but the Addicks do not have a single left footed defender in their ranks, including in the left back position.

Charlton finished their 2-0 win over Barnsley on Saturday in a 3-5-2 system, with Lucas Ness at left centre back and Corey Blackett-Taylor at left wing back.

The addition of Bashir Humphreys would give the backline greater balance in possession, and would allow Holden to prioritise centre back and right centre back positions, rather than having to shoehorn someone into a left centre back role.

Humphreys has played at left back and in defensive midfield in the past, but mostly at centre back, in the Chelsea youth system, and with that education he would likely be suited to slot in at left centre back in a three in League One, with the Blues looking to ensure that their defenders are comfortable on the ball.

Bringing the 19-year-old to the club would allow the Addicks to look at exit options for at least one of Sam Lavelle, Terell Thomas and Deji Elerewe.

The former is out of favour at the moment, but his contract runs until the end of next season, while the latter is an exciting prospect who spent the early part of the season on loan at Wealdstone in the National League.

Giving Humphreys a positive experience in League One for the remainder of the season, could see the Addicks gain the trust of the Blues, who may already feel comfortable sending some of their up and coming players to SE7, after the success of Conor Gallagher's loan at the club in 2019/20, and Jay DaSilva's time at The Valley prior to that.

Juan Castillo was used very sparingly on loan from Chelsea last season but under a different manager, and without the spending power to assemble a squad capable of pushing for automatic promotion in the third tier, club links and clever use of the loan market could be a sustainable way to improve the Addicks' fortunes at the level.