Chelsea refuse to let go of young defender Trevoh Chalobah this summer despite the potential arrival of Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana, according to Gianluca di Marzio.
The 23-year-old finally made his first Premier League appearance for Chelsea this season in the 2-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s suspension certainly played a big part in his making the starting line-up, but it also showed that Thomas Tuchel considers him a valuable squad player.
Chalobah’s position in the pecking order, however, could soon change ahead of the expected signing of Fofana.
Recently, Fofana hinted at his imminent move to Stamford Bridge on social media amid reports of Chelsea’s reaching an agreement with Leicester over a transfer fee.
Chalobah himself was reportedly aware of the situation and said to have pushed for an exit.
This was hardly a surprise, however, given the number of clubs reportedly interested in him.
Several Serie A clubs, including Inter Milan and AC Milan, as well as a number of Premier League clubs, were reportedly keen on the versatile defender.
He has plenty of options.
However, Chelsea are not exactly in a position where they can easily offload more defenders in this transfer window.
Di Marzio claims that the Blues have decided that they are not prepared to lose Chalobah regardless of their transfer pursuit of Fofana.
The report adds that Chalobah’s representatives have already informed Inter and AC Milan of Chelsea’s decision.
This may also have an effect on Ethan Ampadu, who is in a similar situation. He has reportedly attracted interest from several clubs, including Serie A side Spezia, who have been made to wait for Chelsea’s answer to their approach.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
