Chelsea have reportedly turned down a bid of £30m for Brighton & Hove Albion for centre-back Levi Colwill.
The 20-year-old spent the 2022-23 season on loan at the Amex Stadium, where he made a name for himself despite making just 13 Premier League starts in blue and white and struggling with a muscular injury.
Colwill came up with two assists in 22 matches for Roberto De Zerbi's side, starting in 3-0 wins over Liverpool and Arsenal and impressing alongside Lewis Dunk in the backline.
The 2003-born youngster helped Brighton seal Europa League qualification with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League season, and he has since returned to parent club Chelsea, where he is under contract until 2025.
It remains to be seen if there is a path into the first team for Colwill at Stamford Bridge, though, as Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana can all play in the heart of defence.
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Colwill recently revealed that he would be open to staying in Brighton, and the Seagulls are also keen to keep the England Under-21 international on the books following his breakthrough year.
According to Sky Sports News, Brighton recently came forward with a bid of £30m for Colwill, but their approach was swiftly knocked back by Chelsea.
The report adds that the Blues have no plans to let the defender leave, and he will seemingly play a prominent role under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino moving forward.
Colwill has been on the books at Chelsea for 12 years, during which he was also loaned out to Huddersfield Town in 2021-22 and scored two goals in 32 games for the Terriers.
The 20-year-old is still waiting to make his professional debut for the Blues, although his cause may be helped by an expected firesale of players in the upcoming window.
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Having spent circa £600m over the past two transfer windows since the arrival of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea reported a loss of £121m in their latest accounts and are under pressure to significantly reduce their bloated squad.
The Blues are reportedly prepared to part ways with as many as 15 players in the upcoming window in order to trim their wage bill, including current centre-back options Chalobah and Azpilicueta.
Koulibaly has also been the target of criticism during his debut season at Stamford Bridge, and the Senegal international could also be on the chopping block after just one season.
Away from the backline, Chelsea are already confirmed to be losing Joao Felix when his loan deal from Atletico Madrid expires, while Mason Mount has supposedly agreed personal terms with Manchester United, who are now readying a formal approach for the Englishman.
Ben Knapton
