Smith, 21, who began last season on a similar deal at Carrow Road, had been linked with a permanent return to Norwich. Like fellow Chelsea youngster Ryan Bertrand, Norwich boss Glenn Roeder was keen to renew acquaintances after all-too-brief spells under his fledgling stewardship.
Now, with Bertrans linked with Premier League new boys Hull City, Yorkshire looks set to plunder two men from the King's Road. Whether Roeder would concede either of Luis Felipe Scolari's new charges as targets who he had missed out on, of whom he says there have been none so far, is another matter.