Aston Villa will reportedly battle several clubs in the race to sign 23-year-old Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, available for a loan move this summer.
According to ESPN, Aston Villa are weighing up a loan move for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who is also attracting interest from Serie A giants Inter Milan and AS Roma. The Villans are looking to strengthen their defence this summer due to the injury-enforced absence of Diego Carlos and view the 23-year-old as a perfect fit on a season-long loan deal.
Chelsea have bolstered their defence by signing Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napol. But the Blues are looking to complete their defensive makeover with the capture of Wesley Fofana. In addition, recent reports suggest they are keen on a swap deal involving Harry Maguire and Christian Pulisic.
Nonetheless, the west London outfit’s exploits in the market mean some of their current batch of defenders could be pushed out of the door to seek regular game-time elsewhere. Malang Sarr, for one, has already been shipped out by Chelsea to French outfit AS Monaco on an initial loan deal that will contain an obligation to buy him depending on a certain number of appearances.
This list of surplus defenders also includes Chalobah, who excelled whenever he featured last season, notably in two domestic cup finals against Liverpool. Despite the defender’s impressive performances and being in the good books of Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea are understood to be open to the prospect of sending the Englishman out on loan.
However, they are not willing to let Chalobah leave on a permanent transfer as the Chelsea hierarchy believes the 23-year-old still has a future at Stamford Bridge and will only listen to straight loan offers. Enquiries seem to have already been initiated, with a temporary exit looking imminent before the transfer window closes.
Inter Milan are reportedly interested in Chalobah as they look to add defensive reinforcements to their squad. Now, Aston Villa have also entered the race to acquire the 23-year-old’s services from fellow Premier League club Chelsea amid the big blow of Carlos’s ACL injury. The Brazilian faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines and could miss up to nine months of action.
But Steven Gerrard is hopeful that his star summer signing will be back fit before the end of the season. As such, Aston Villa have been linked to a host of options, including Victor Nelsson. Now, ESPN reports Aston Villa would like to take Chalobah on loan as Gerrard looks for a short-term replacement with Premier League experience for Carlos.
Chalobah is an excellent defender who would be an inexpensive emergency replacement for Carlos. With less than two weeks left in the transfer window, there are not many better options on the market than the Chelsea defender, whose ability on the ball and composure would be an ideal foil to Gerrard’s possession-based style of play.
On the flip side, Chalobah could gain a different kind of experience by playing in a different league and environment at a European giant like Inter. It remains to be seen where the 23-year-old will end up this summer, but one thing is certain: he will only leave Chelsea on a temporary basis.
