Brighton are ready to test Chelsea’s resolve over Levi Colwill with an improved offer of around £40million for the defender.
Chelsea insist Colwill is not for sale but they need to sell players and are well-stocked with centre-backs.
Colwill was drafted in to train with the England squad and the talented 20-year-old is expected to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024.
He has enjoyed a brilliant season on loan at Brighton as they qualified for the Europa League.
Brighton had a £30m bid for Colwill rejected earlier this month but are preparing to return with a fresh offer.
They hope Chelsea will soften their stance, given the Blues desperately need to sell players to help balance the books and reduce the size of their squad.
Manchester City and Liverpool are also monitoring Colwill.
Chelsea have six central defenders in their squad and need to offload some of them.
Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are both expected to stay, having signed seven-year contracts when they joined for big money last summer, while Thiago Silva wants to continue at the club.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Trevoh Chalobah face uncertain futures, and new Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has indicated Colwill is in his plans next season.
Badiashile is set to miss the start of the season due to a hamstring injury, and Pochettino could be reluctant to lose another left-sided centre-back in Colwill.
Gareth Southgate has rewarded Colwill for his good form this season by drafting him to train with the England squad at St George’s Park after Lewis Dunk withdrew with injury.
Colwill has been named in the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship this summer, and the FA are yet to confirm whether he will be made available for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
It is likely they will prioritise his involvement with the Under-21s over the senior side this summer.
