Sheffield United are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea youngster Alfie Gilchrist in this summer's transfer window, as the Premier League newcomers look to bolster their squad for the new campaign.
The Blades finished second behind Vincent Kompany's Burnley in the Championship last term, earning automatic promotion to the top flight after two years in the second tier.
Whilst Paul Heckingbottom's men were fighting to escape the EFL, Gilchrist was captaining Chelsea Under-21s, helping the young Blues to a third-placed finish in Premier League 2.
The 19-year-old has never experienced a loan spell away from West London, however a temporary switch could be on the cards for the defender this summer.
According to the Evening Standard, Premier League newcomers Sheffield United are keen on bringing the centre-back to Bramall Lane ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
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It is understood that Blades boss Heckingbottom is hopeful of making Gilchrist his third permanent signing of the transfer window, although Chelsea are supposedly not on the same wavelength.
The report claims that the West Londoners wish to give the Englishman his first taste of regular men's football by loaning him out this season, with a view of him eventually being integrated into the first team at Stamford Bridge.
With Gilchrist's contract in West London expiring in the summer of 2024, it is believed that Chelsea intend to offer the player fresh terms before sending him out on loan for a season.
New Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino selected the centre-back is his 30-man squad who are currently going through their pre-season paces in North America ahead of a campaign without European football.
Gilchrist played the second half of Chelsea's 5-0 thrashing of League Two outfit Wrexham on July 20 in North Carolina, meaning that the London club lifted the Florida Cup.
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The defender has featured for Chelsea's first team on one previous occasion, playing 63 minutes in a mid-season friendly against Aston Villa in December 2022, when a large section of Graham Potter's squad were busy with matters in Qatar at the World Cup.
The Blades are continuing to target young talent in this summer's transfer window, having recently announced the signing of 22-year-old left-back Yasser Larouci on loan from Troyes.
United have also raided the Scandinavian market for up-and-coming prospects, recruiting Benie Traore and Anis Ben Slimane from Hacken and Brondby respectively.
A goalless draw with Portuguese outfit Estoril concluded a training camp for Heckingbottom's squad on the continent, and they now return to England to face Rotherham United on Tuesday night.
Carter White
