Chelsea refuse to sell Levi Colwill to Brighton permanently

Brighton have had an offer of £30 million rejected by Chelsea for Levi Colwill.

Colwill spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Brighton and impressed, having been an important part of the squad that managed to make it to European football for the first time in the club’s history.

British outlet The Guardian reported that Chelsea have rejected an offer of £30 million for Colwill and have no intention of selling the centre-back.

Chelsea highly rate Colwill, especially after his impressive loan spell at the Amex. He is considered as the best young left-sided defender in the country by many in the UK.

Chelsea wish to give Colwill a new long-term contract which would see him stay at Stamford Bridge beyond his current contract’s expiry in 2026. If he were to stay, he would face direct competition from Benoit Badiashille, one of Chelsea’s latest acquisitions.

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Brighton have thrived this season having used veterans Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster at centre-back more often and also have the option of the dynamic Dutchman Joel Veltman. But the Seagulls want to sign the talented Englishman who seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

Colwill’s future reportedly depends on whether he can see himself breaking into the first team given Chelsea’s huge roster of central defenders.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino usually prefers a back-four setup and with Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashille, Kalidou Koulibaly and Trevor Chalobah all still at the club, it will be difficult for Colwill to break into the first-team.

Having said that, Pochettino is known for always giving youth players a fair chance in the first team if they deserve it. Colwill could stamp his authority and become an important part of Chelsea’s backline for years to come.

Chelsea could be forced to sell or loan Colwill again though, as they need to cut down the size of their squad. The Blues are also interested in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and, hence, may even have to do Brighton a favour to help their odds of signing the midfielder.