Liverpool, Man City target delays transfer decision for one reason as Chelsea plan £200m ‘fire sale’

Chelsea starlet Levi Colwill is reportedly not yet willing to decide whether he wants to leave the London outfit amid interest from Liverpool and Man City.

The 20-year-old has earned a lot of plaudits this season for his performances on loan at Brighton, even though he has been limited to just eight starts in the Premier League.

Chelsea have spent heavily to increase their options in defence as Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella have all been brought in for significant fees.

This is while Thiago Silva is still going strong so it remains to be seen how regularly Colwill will play next season if he opts to remain at Chelsea.

His form for Brighton has fuelled talk that he could move on in the summer.

Frank Lampard has returned to Chelsea to replace Graham Potter until the end of this season. The club legend is unlikely to stick around for long as the Blues have lost all three of his games in charge so far.

The Athletic’s Simon Johnson is reporting Colwill is ‘expected to wait for Chelsea to appoint their new permanent head coach before deciding whether to sign a contract extension’.

Johnson feels Chelsea have ‘no intention’ of letting Colwill leave the club this summer.

‘Colwill’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge is once again under scrutiny amid reports Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, where he has spent this season on loan, want to sign him this summer.

‘As explained in this column back in January, Chelsea see the 20-year-old as part of their long-term plans. They have no intention of selling or loaning him out this summer.

‘In 2021, Chelsea announced Colwill had signed a four-year deal. One nuance of that deal is that it included an option for another 12 months that will only be triggered if the defender plays a certain amount of games for the first team, though that number is believed to be very achievable.’

Johnson went on to state that Colwill will have ‘fewer opportunities’ next season with Chelsea set to miss out on a place in Europe. He also explains why the Premier League club will soon come ‘under pressure’ to sell players like the defender.

‘With Chelsea unlikely to be playing in Europe next season, there will be fewer opportunities.

‘Chelsea can keep Colwill due to the amount of time left on his contract. However, if fresh terms are not agreed it will put their stance on selling players under pressure.

‘The club’s decision-makers already want to offload players who have one year left (and don’t sign new deals) but will increasingly look at those with only two years remaining to ensure they maximise transfer values. Bringing in revenue from player sales will help Chelsea comply with financial fair play rules.’