Chelsea are braced for new bids for Trevoh Chalobah this summer, following the defender’s excellent form in the club’s end-of-season run into Europe.
Chalobah was made available for £25 million last summer and was the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest.
The 24-year-old turned down the chance to move to Forest and is once again unlikely to consider any move to a club that will not be fighting for Europe or has not qualified for European competition next season.
A move to Bayern fell through late in last summer’s transfer window and the Germans have since signed Eric Dier, while Tottenham still want to sign a new central defender.
It is believed that Chelsea will value Chalobah at around £25 million again this summer and his sale would help the club’s profit and sustainability situation.
Injuries meant that Chalobah did not make a single first-team appearance this season until February. But since then he has performed superbly and Chelsea did not lose a single League game in which he started.
Chalobah started all five of Chelsea’s final League games which they won to secure European qualification for next season and scored in the victory over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
He has played at centre-back and filled in as a right-back this season, and has done well in each position, underlining his versatility.
Having signed his last deal in 2022, Chalobah is contracted to the club until at least 2028 and will not push to leave Stamford Bridge, where he first moved to at the age of eight.
But Chelsea are expected to listen to bids for a number of homegrown players, including Chalobah, Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja. Ian Maatsen is also likely to leave the club permanently this summer.
Chalobah has proved his determination to fight for his place under a number of managers, with the likes of Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and now Mauricio Pochettino rating him among the best defenders at Chelsea.
With Wesley Fofana returning from injury and Reece James and Malo Gusto competing for a place at right-back next season, Chalobah may once again have to fight his way back up the Chelsea pecking order if he does not leave the club this summer.