Trevoh Chalobah reportedly intends to fight for his place in the Chelsea team under Mauricio Pochettino after failing to secure an exit from the club in January.
The 24-year-old earned some pre-season minutes under the Argentine, but owing to a serious thigh injury, he has not made a single competitive appearance for the Blues in the current campaign.
However, Chalobah already finds himself behind Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile in the pecking order, leading to the expectation that he would be sold in January.
Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan were believed to be keen on bringing Chalobah to Serie A, while Nottingham Forest and Chelsea's West London rivals Fulham were linked with a loan move.
The winter window slammed shut with Chalobah still on the books at Stamford Bridge, though, and according to Fabrizio Romano, the Englishman will now do his utmost to reignite his Blues career under Pochettino.
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Speaking to CaughtOffside, Romano also revealed that Atletico Madrid and West Ham United showed interest in a short-term loan, but his salary demands made a move unfeasible.
"The expectation before the January transfer window was that Trevoh Chalobah would leave Chelsea and there was some interest in the player. However, the defender is now prepared to fight for his place in Mauricio Pochettino's team as he is going to be fit and ready to play soon," Romano said.
"In January Chalobah had some chances to leave the London club but it was never really close. Atletico Madrid considered the possibility of signing him, same for West Ham but nothing was ever close because of his salary, which was considered too high for a six-month loan."
The former England Under-21 international - who has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since 2007 - was loaned out to Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Lorient before earning his stars in West London, and he now boasts four goals and one assist in 63 games for the Blues.
After making his breakthrough under Thomas Tuchel, Chalobah featured on 25 occasions in the 2022-23 Premier League season, and he already has one Club World Cup title and one UEFA Super Cup to show from his time at Chelsea.
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Back in November 2022, Chalobah committed his future to Chelsea until 2028 with the option of a further year, putting the Blues in a strong position to demand a significant fee if he fails to reignite his career in the capital.
Pochettino's side already stand to lose one defender ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, though, as 39-year-old Silva is in the final six months of his deal and has been heavily linked with a move back to Brazil.
Silva has defied his age to play an integral role in the Chelsea backline and recently claimed that he was "super relaxed" about his future with the Blues, but he was guilty of a poor display in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
In addition, Malang Sarr's Chelsea career appears to be dead in the water after he was left out of their Premier League squad for the 2023-24 season, and Ligue 1 side Le Havre reportedly targeted a late January move for the ostracised defender.
However, a move did not come to fruition - allegedly due to Chelsea not submitting the relevant paperwork - leading Le Havre sporting director Matthieu Bodmer to slam the Blues' "shameful" behaviour.
Ben Knapton
