Manchester City have reportedly identified Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell as a potential future transfer target.
At one stage under Pep Guardiola, City were blessed with options on the left-hand side of their defence, to such an extent that Oleksandr Zinchenko jumped at the chance of regular first-team football at current Premier League leaders Arsenal.
However, off-the-field issues relating to Benjamin Mendy and the loan exit of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich leaves the Spaniard to contemplate alternatives.
As it stands, the versatile Nathan Ake is impressing on that side of the defence, with Rico Lewis and Sergio Gomez viewed as backup to the Dutchman.
Nevertheless, Guardiola may have to strengthen in that area of the pitch if he is to feel comfortable with the balance of his squad.
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According to The Athletic, there is interest from City regarding a move for Chilwell in the future.
The 26-year-old has endured an injury-hit 18 months at Stamford Bridge, spending prolonged periods on the sidelines with serious knee and hamstring injuries.
That said, Chilwell has still been able to make 14 starts and seven substitute outings for Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign.
More recently, the England international has come through three matches in the space of eight days, playing 252 minutes of football and starring versus Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
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Chilwell also netted against former club Leicester City at the weekend, but his return to form has seemingly increased the chances of City continuing to contemplate a bid.
Chelsea are unlikely to consider the sale of a key player to a team that they still regard as a direct rival in the summer, even if there is a greater need to boost their position with FFP.
Although, Chilwell has less than two-and-a-half years on his contract, creating a scenario where the powers-that-be at the West Londoners will want to agree fresh terms sooner rather than later.
Since moving to Chelsea in 2020, Chilwell has contributed nine goals and 12 assists from 76 appearances in all competitions, but he has featured on just 22 occasions in the top flight since the start of last season.
Darren Plant
