Fulham have reignited their pursuit of Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, according to the Evening Standard.
The 24-year-old centre-back is among a contingent of players who could leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Chalobah has four years remaining on his contract, but he is a Chelsea academy graduate, which makes him a potential windfall for the Blues.
Chelsea need to balance the books after their reckless spending and have earmarked Chalobah to be sold for profit. His sale would be classified as pure profit, bolstering Chelsea’s financial standing.
The Sierra Leone-born star had struggled with a lengthy hamstring injury lay-off, but he enjoyed a terrific end to the season as Mauricio Pochettino gave him a run of games in the first team.
The Cottagers explored signing Chalobah last summer and are now prepared to revisit those discussions.
They want to reinforce their defence this summer after losing Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea. With Adarabioyo gone and Tim Ream likely departing for Charlotte FC in the MLS, Fulham’s central defensive options look thin beyond Calvin Bassey and Issa Diop.
However, Chalobah wants to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea, who value the former Inter Milan and Bayern Munich target at £25 million.
The young defender did not want to leave last summer and is not keen on moving this transfer window either.
Chalobah is also being monitored by Manchester United. The Red Devils are set to let Raphael Varane leave on a free transfer this summer, and they are after reinforcement.
Tottenham Hotspur are also considering a move for the Chelsea defender, but he might be uninterested in a move to North London due to playing time.
Cristian Romero and Micky van der Ven are the established first-choice pairing, with Radu Dragusin waiting in the wings. They could potentially hinder Chalobah’s quest for regular playing time.
