Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle for Levi Colwill to sign a six-year deal that will end the prospect of the defender leaving the club this summer.
Colwill has two years left on his current deal, with a club option for an extra year, and Brighton have been trying to lure the England Under-21 international away from Stamford Bridge. Brighton had a bid rejected for the 20-year-old last month and want Chelsea to include the defender as part of a deal for the Ecuador midfielder, Moisés Caicedo.
However, Chelsea have been clear in their desire to keep Colwill, who is one of the biggest talents to emerge from their academy, and talks over extending his deal progressed rapidly on Monday. Colwill has been convinced that there is a pathway into the first team and is understood to have been offered a contract worth over £100,000 a week. The deal has not been finalised but negotiations have moved in the right direction.
There had been suggestions that Chelsea’s £38m move for Monaco’s Axel Disasi would affect Colwill’s future. The two issues are unrelated, however, as Chelsea’s decision to sign the Monaco defender is linked to Wesley Fofana sustaining a long-term knee injury.
Disasi will provide cover at right centre-back and Colwill will compete with Benoît Badiashile at left centre-back. If Disasi’s arrival causes a defender to leave Chelsea it is likely to be Trevoh Chalobah, who has interest from Internazionale and West Ham. Chelsea are ready to listen to offers for Chalobah, who could cost about £45m.
Mauricio Pochettino has backed Colwill to become one of the best defenders in England. Chelsea’s head coach can also count on the experience of Thiago Silva, who turns 39 in September, but he is also looking to the future. Colwill is one of the best young talents in the country, Badiashile is 22 and Disasi is 25. Bashir Humphreys, 20, has caught the eye during pre-season.
Chelsea’s owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, are overseeing a rebuild after a difficult first year and they do not want another homegrown talent to leave after the sale of Mason Mount to Manchester United. Chelsea take pride in their academy prospects and the owners handed long-term deals to Reece James and Armando Broja last year. Chalobah has also been at Chelsea since he was a boy and there is yet to be any attempt to agree a new deal with Conor Gallagher, whose terms expire in 2025.
Chelsea are in the market for a goalkeeper, midfielder and striker. They have opened negotiations with Brighton over a deal for Robert Sánchez as they look for a goalkeeper who can provide competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga. Sánchez has fallen out of favour with Roberto de Zerbi and is expected to leave.
Brighton have turned down multiple bids for Caicedo from Chelsea and want £100m for the 21-year-old. Chelsea could look elsewhere and rival Liverpool for Southampton’s Roméo Lavia.
