BEN CHILWELL is facing another six months on the Chelsea sidelines as they have not had any offers for the England defender.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca described Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka as “the first that want to leave” this week — but a move is proving difficult.
Chilwell signed a new four-year, £190,000-a-week deal last year before being exiled from the first-team squad by Maresca for tactical reasons this season.
The star, who turned 28 on Saturday, is on wages that are too high for most Premier League and European clubs.
Even previous suitors Brentford, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are not after a left-back next month.
Chilwell has only played once this season and been an unused sub once, both in the Carabao Cup.
He was not included in the Conference League squad with the rest of Maresca’s fringe players and that will not change for the knockout stages after Christmas.
Maresca has sympathy for Chilwell but does not plan to change his stance.
He said: “There are players that unfortunately they didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions, like Chilwell, like Carney.
“Probably they are the first that want to leave as they work every day, they train every day, they want to play games — and if they don’t play games they are thinking of leaving.
“So we’re going to see if some of them are coming to knock on the door and say I want to leave. For each player it’s a different situation.”
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 following a £50million deal.
The full-back has since amassed a total of nine goals and 12 assists in 107 appearances.
The England international also won the Champions League as well as the Uefa Super Cup with the Blues in 2021.
