Chelsea are keen to tie down highly-rated defender Levi Colwill to a new long-term deal to deter Brighton from making a permanent bid this summer. Despite suffering from injury setbacks this season, Colwill has impressed those at the Amex, and there are growing fears at Stamford Bridge that the south-coast outfit could test their resolve again once his loan agreement comes to a close.
The 20-year-old centre-back has been earmarked for big things and is highly regarded by those in west London. After impressing for Huddersfield Town in the Championship last season, Colwill was rewarded with a Premier League move last summer, when the Seagulls brought him to the Amex on a season-long loan.
However, Colwill has found regular minutes hard to come by this term, having played in just eight top-flight games His progress wasn't helped by a muscular injury which kept him sidelined for much of 2023, but his return was exemplary, as he helped Roberto De Zerbi's side claim a 1-0 win against arch-rivals Crystal Palace before the international break.
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This performance would have alerted the attention of Blues manager Graham Potter, who had been the man who signed Colwill for Brighton when he was still in charge. However, the Seagulls will be keen to keep hold of their talent beyond the end of this campaign, particularly if they succeed in qualifying for Europe during the two-month run-in.
Despite the Blues having signed centre-backs Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Benoit Badiashile in the last two transfer windows, as well as agreeing a new one-year contract extension with Thiago Silva in February, they view Colwill as a long-term asset among their defensive ranks. A new long-term deal could therefore be in the offing as there is genuine interest to do so from Chelsea's side, as the Evening Standard reports.
Brighton were eager to sign Colwill on a permanent basis last summer, when the two clubs were locked in talks about the sale of Marc Cucurella in the opposite direction. However, Chelsea's determination to keep hold of the promising defender came into full effect, as they chose to pay more for Cucurella rather than agreeing to a swap arrangement.
This summer, Colwill will have entered the final two years of his current deal, and could be a man in high demand if the Blues can't agree to offer him more regular first-team action. The youngster recently put discussions over his Blues future on the back burner, instead choosing to focus on helping his current side push for a place in Europe.
“I haven’t thought about it, to be honest, every day I am working hard and that’s all I am focusing on,” he said after the win over Palace. “If I start planning for the future, then everything might not go well here and everything then changes.
"This is my main priority right now to work hard with my teammates. I have loved every minute of being here. I have learned so much even when I wasn’t playing, now I am getting minutes after coming back from injury so I can’t complain.”
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