Trevoh Chalobah feels he is being forced out of Chelsea against his will after being left out of the club’s pre-season tour and the defender is expected to assess his options before deciding whether to leave.
The 25-year-old was a surprise exclusion when the squad for the five-match tour of the United States was confirmed on Monday, and Chelsea are expected to step up attempts to sell him. But the former England under-21 defender, who made 13 Premier League appearances last season after returning from a thigh injury, is understood to have been left shocked by his exclusion having started training under the new manager Enzo Maresca.
Chalobah, who joined Chelsea at the age of nine and would therefore be bankable as pure profit for accounting purposes if sold, has several admirers in the Premier League and beyond. But he is said to be determined not to rush to sign for the first team that make an offer and will weigh up any opportunities for a permanent move.
Chalobah’s camp is believed to be very disappointed with Chelsea’s decision given it is less than two years since he was rewarded with a contract to 2028, with an option for a further year.
“We’re delighted that Trevoh will be extending his stay with Chelsea,” said the chairman, Todd Boehly, and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali at the time. “He has been with us since childhood and has grown into an exceptional young player. He’s an important part of our men’s first-team squad and we’re excited to see what’s next for Trevoh at Chelsea.”
The arrival of Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer and return to fitness of Wesley Fofana mean Chalobah’s opportunities may be limited in central defence under Maresca and he has been linked with West Ham and Crystal Palace.
There are also doubts over the future of Conor Gallagher, who is on holiday after his participation at the Euros. Atlético Madrid are thought to be strongly interested in the England midfielder.
Chelsea are believed to be in the market for another goalkeeper, with Villarreal’s Filip Jörgensen a possible replacement for Djordje Petrovic. Chelsea face Wrexham on Wednesday in San Francisco before heading to Indiana to play Celtic on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has said Kevin De Bruyne will not leave Manchester City this summer. The Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad had the Belgian in their sights and De Bruyne, who has a year on his contract, last month admitted he could be tempted by the “incredible amounts of money” on offer elsewhere.
Guardiola, speaking before City’s friendly against Celtic in North Carolina, said: “Kevin isn’t going.”
The manager, whose only summer signing has been the winger Savinho, went on to say: “If someone leaves, we’re going to talk about that. Of course, until the last day, we have chances [to make transfers]. I don’t rule it out the option to have new players but I think there is an 85-90 per cent chance we will have the same squad.
“I feel comfortable, because the quality of human beings we have in the squad is difficult to be replaced, and the quality is there. But we’ll see. I don’t know in the last moment if someone comes for some players and they leave, we’re going to decide.”
Last month De Bruyne told the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws he was fond of the idea of a lucrative pay-day in the latter stages of his career. “At my age you have to be open to everything,” he said. “You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.” – Guardian
