Chelsea and Ben Chilwell are reportedly each open to going their separate ways before the end of the summer transfer window.
Under a number of different head coaches, Chilwell has been the undisputed first choice at left-back when deemed to be fully fit.
However, at the end of another injury-hit campaign in 2023-24, the England international lost his place to Marc Cucurella who excelled in an inverted full-back role under Mauricio Pochettino.
Cucurella has since won Euro 2024 with Spain, earning a spot in the team of the tournament in the process, and he will remain as first choice under Enzo Maresca.
As a result, decisions now need to be made regarding the future of Chilwell, even with three years still remaining on his contract.
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Pre-season frustration
With Cucurella only returning to pre-season earlier this month, Chilwell seemingly had the opportunity to earn regular minutes across six friendlies ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
Instead, he featured for just 45 minutes against Wrexham and a further 20 minutes versus Club America, staying as an unused substitute for the other four matches.
According to talkSPORT, the 27-year-old has been left frustrated with the situation and is increasingly open to a transfer elsewhere.
Furthermore, it has alleged that Chelsea are open to parting ways with the former Leicester City man, albeit it remaining unclear whether they would consider a loan as well as permanent bids.
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Place in Premier League squad not guaranteed
In a separate report in the Daily Mail, Chilwell is in line to remain on the periphery of Maresca's plans over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, it is not a foregone conclusion that he will be selected in the Italian's 25-player squad when that needs to be submitted in due course.
Levi Colwill and Renato Veiga are capable of deputising for Cucurella when required, while Malo Gusto was tried at left-back during pre-season.
Chilwell was restricted to just 13 appearances in the top flight last season, Colwill being used regularly there until the start of March.
Darren Plant
