Elche midfielder Mario Pasalic believes he will return to Chelsea this summer after a successful loan spell with Los Franjiverdes.
The 20-year-old Croatian, signed from Hajduk Split for a reported €3.5m in July last year, was immediately farmed out to Elche for a season and has impressed at the Martinez Valero this term, having scored three times in 30 La Liga appearances.
Pasalic has recently been linked with a move to Lazio, although Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is understood to be keen to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
Pasalic, in the meantime, is confident he will shortly receive a contract extension with the Blues and that England is where his immediate future lies.
“Given the intensity of the communications with Chelsea, I’m optimistic that I’ll go to London in late May to sign a new deal with them,” he told Croatian website Slobodna Dalmacija.
Pasalic is aware he faces a battle to get into Mourinho’s starting line-up with the likes of Oriol Romeu and Marco van Ginkel also trying to earn a regular spot.
