According to respected journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea want to keep defender Levi Colwill this summer amid transfer interest.
The central defender joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan last summer and he has impressed in his handful of appearances for the South Coast outfit.
It has been recently reported that Liverpool are looking to sign Colwill but Romano insists that Chelsea view him as a ‘top talent’ and want to keep him at the club.
He told Caughtoffside: “Chelsea want to keep Levi Colwill as he’s considered a top talent, no doubts on club side amid interest from other clubs. Colwill wants to feel important and play. Contract expires in 2025; the option to extend can only be activated in case he plays big amount of games.”
Potential
Colwill was brilliant on loan at Huddersfield Town last season. He helped them reach the Championship play-off final against Nottingham Forest before scoring an unfortunate own goal.
It was anticipated that the 20-year-old would break into the Chelsea first team this campaign but that was not the case after the club decided to invest on multiple central defenders.
Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella were signed to bolster the backline last summer and they added Benoit Badiashile to their squad in the January transfer window.
This has only increased the competition for places but Chelsea look determined to keep Colwill.
It will be interesting to see whether the youngster shares the same ambition. He would want to play regularly in the development phase of his career and may prefer to leave the club.
If Chelsea are reluctant to lose him permanently this summer, there could be the possibility of another loan exit such that he can gain more experience before breaking into their squad.
Next season could be Thiago Silva’s final one for Chelsea before hanging up his boots. Colwill definitely has a lot of potential and could be a key player for the club in the long run.