Chelsea could significantly boost their chances of keeping Levi Colwill this summer if they offer Brighton another player instead. The 20-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a return to Brighton following his impressive performances while on loan at the Amex Stadium.
Colwill, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2025, featured 17 times for the Seagulls in the Premier League, helping Roberto De Zerbi's side keep five clean sheets. The England youth international helped Brighton claim a Europa League qualification spot ahead of Tottenham and, parent club, Chelsea.
football.london understands that the Blues have been very impressed with his progress and Colwill is expected to be a key player under Pochettino – and, therefore, not for sale. At first, the west Londoners didn't necessarily look well-positioned to hold onto the youngster; De Zerbi publicly revealed his intent to re-sign him and Chelsea are chasing a deal for Moises Caicedo.
In fact, just a few days after the season ended, Brighton reportedly submitted a bid which was swiftly rejected. But now, the Blues could have the chance to stifle any further speculation linking Colwill with a return to the south coast.
According to talkSPORT, the Seagulls are among several Premier League clubs interested in signing Conor Gallagher this summer. The report states that Chelsea are willing to offload the midfielder in order to raise funds to fund Pochettino's ideal rebuild.
As exclusively revealed by football.london, Tottenham are also keen to get their hands on Gallagher. If the west Londoners choose to sell to Brighton – even if it's not as financially rewarding – then they can write themselves into their good books.
And, that could mean acquiring Caicedo in a player-plus-cash swap deal which includes Gallagher instead of Colwill. That way everybody walks away satisfied and a healthy business relationship remains intact.
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Holding onto the £17million-rated wonderkid could be the most important decision Chelsea face this summer, with Rio Ferdinand claiming that the youngster is already the best defender at Pochettino's disposal. Speaking on the FIVE YouTube channel, the former Manchester United defender said: "I think Levi Colwill is the best one they have got at Chelsea.
"He’s better than Wesley Fofana and I think he’s better than Benoit Badiashile. Have you seen the way Levi Colwill is playing for Brighton? He has gone to Brighton, his team is higher than Chelsea.
"He is playing unbelievably well in that team. Did you see the way Levi Colwill was slapping that ball around [against Arsenal]? This season, he has been better than Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, 100%."
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