There’s interest in £35m Chelsea player this summer, but he’s got ‘no intention’ of leaving

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Chelsea’s first-team defender is reportedly attracting interest from other clubs this summer, but he’s determined to stay put at Stamford Bridge.

One of the biggest decisions facing Blues head coach Enzo Maresca going into the new season is who he picks in defence.

It was previously reported by GiveMeSport that Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill may be Chelsea’s starting centre-backs. Let’s see who makes the starting line-up for the team’s opening Premier League fixture at home to Manchester City on Sunday, though.

The likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile will surely hope they’re picked in the heart of defence.

• READ MORE: The three most likely ways Chelsea’s defence could line up in the Premier League next season

Benoit Badiashile determined to stay at Chelsea

According to Football.London, Chelsea centre-half Badiashile has ‘no intention’ of leaving the club in this summer window.

It is explained that the 23-year-old Frenchman is currently receiving transfer interest from unnamed clubs, but his full focus is on succeeding in West London.

On top of that, The Athletic recently claimed that Chelsea chiefs massively rate Badiashile, despite him having some mixed form in his Blues career.

He joined Chelsea in a £35m deal (Sky Sports) from Monaco in January 2023. While his first six months in West London went superbly well, his performance levels dipped last season as he come in and out of the side.

Is he good enough for the Blues?

Badiashile’s been a mixture of the good and bad in the first 18 months of his Chelsea career, but he deserves another crack at it this season. Let’s remember that he’s still under contract with the club until 2023, too.

The left-footed centre-half is great competition for Colwill in the starting XI, so it would make sense to rotate the pair during what could be a busy campaign with a lot of fixtures domestically and in Europe.

When Badiashile is composed and confident, he’s a great ball-playing defender that suits Maresca’s style. But he’s simply got to cut out the individual errors to grow into an elite player.