Chelsea are reportedly unwilling to sell Ben Chilwell this summer despite growing interest from Manchester City, who are keen on signing the England international.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, the former Leicester City defender will not be considered for sale at all by the Blues with Graham Potter clearly a big fan of Chilwell, who is viewed by Chelsea as their starting left-back despite signing Marc Cucurella in the summer for £60m.
A £50m signing himself back in 2020, Chilwell’s time at Chelsea has been plagued by injuries, with the fullback making just seven Premier League starts all season and playing a huge role in the west London’s side horrific run of form under Potter in recent weeks.
However, despite interest from City as reported by the Daily Mail, Chelsea seem intent on not selling Chilwell this summer, and the defender is likely to play a huge role for the club as Potter looks to claw some sort of redemption for the club in the remaining matches of the season.
Phillips said about Chilwell: “Right now, he’s first-choice left-back. He’s keeping Cucurella out of the team and Potter obviously likes him. He’s just come back from injury, so I do expect him to grow back into that role and get even better. Situation’s can always change. But right now, Chelsea don’t have any intention of selling Chilwell.”
Indeed, City’s interest could increase as we creep towards the summer transfer window, yet given Chelsea’s clear stance on the England defender, it looks more than likely that Chilwell will remain at Stamford Bridge for the coming years as Potter looks to keep the fullback around as part of his long-term project.
Chelsea would be crazy to sell Chilwell to a Premier League rival
Chilwell’s injury problems have been a real concern for Chelsea, with the defender missing over 50 games for the club since signing in 2020. Yet even with City now interested in taking the fullback off the Blues’ hands, selling the 26-year-old would be a bad move from Potter’s side.
As we know, Chilwell, on his day, is one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League, and under a manager like Potter, the England international can thrive alongside the right players, something we have seen the defender do in the last two games against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund.
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