Chelsea suffer major transfer setback amid £15m man's lengthy injury absence: report

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Chelsea FC at Craven Cottage on October 2, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea appear to have been dealt a blow in their efforts to offload Trevoh Chalobah.

If the Blues want to add to their squad in January, they will likely have to offload players to balance the books – and Chalobah is one name who has been linked with a departure from Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old centre-back has not featured this season as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on January 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Trevoh Chalobah made 18 Premier League starts last term (Image credit: Getty Images)

And that injury could prove problematic for Chelsea, with potential buyers seemingly deterred from pursuing a deal for Chalobah.

According to the Mirror, Tottenham and Bayern Munich were both keeping tabs on the Blues academy product but have since 'cooled their interest'.

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However, the report adds that AC Milan, Inter Milan and RB Leipzig all remain interested in Chalobah.

Transfermarkt currently values the former England U21 international – who previously played on the continent on loan with Lorient of Ligue 1 – at €18m (£15.6m).

COBHAM, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 6: Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea during a training session at Chelsea Training Ground on October 6, 2023 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chalobah returned to training last month but has since suffered a setback in his rehabilitation (Image credit: Getty Images)

After rising through Chelsea's youth ranks, Chalobah – whose older brother Nathaniel followed the same path –  made his first-team debut in the Blues' 2021 UEFA Super Cup victory over Villarreal.

He has gone on to feature 63 times for the two-time European champions, with 45 of his appearances coming in the Premier League.

Chalobah was part of the England squad which won the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...