Chelsea are prepared to fend off any loan interest for Trevoh Chalobah and are instead planning to offer him a new deal and keep him in and around the first team for the season.
Trevoh Chalobah stood out as the unlikely beneficiary of Thomas Tuchel’s first pre-season at Chelsea. The German, impressed by the performances of the centre-back on loan at Lorient, gave the youngster regular minutes during friendly matches and surprised everyone by playing him from the start in the UEFA Super Cup.
Chalobah impressed in the 120-minute-long competition against Villarreal (1-1 AET; 6-5 pen). Three days later, he was back in the starting XI to make his Premier League debut in the season opener against Crystal Palace (3-0).
Given his meteoric rise in the last month, Chelsea are now unwilling to let Chalobah leave on loan for the season, as was the plan initially. Instead, Goal’s Nizaar Kinsella reports that Tuchel has personally met with the 22-year-old to inform him of the same.
The defender was preparing to go out on loan this season, with the likes of Valencia and Lille keen to borrow him temporarily, but will rather be approached by his parent club over a contract renewal in the coming days.
Chalobah’s current deal at the club runs out in 2023, and talks are expected to begin shortly regarding a renewal. It would mark a surprising turn of events for the player and the club after weeks of consistent links with Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
Chelsea might still attempt to sign Kounde later in the window, although his arrival reportedly hinges on Chelsea direct Marina Granovskaia finding a suitable buyer for Kurt Zouma.
Along with his brother and former senior-team player Nathaniel, Chalobah came through the youth ranks at the club, which he had joined at the age of 8.
The Englishman made the bench for The Blues for their 2018 FA Cup final against Manchester United, but most of his formative years were spent on loan at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Lorient.
