Crystal Palace are among the clubs interested in a January deal for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, Express Sport understands. Chalobah has missed the majority of the season with a thigh injury but is getting closer to full fitness.
The 24-year-old has not played a minute of competitive football under new Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino. His injury, suffered in August, has kept him out for most of the campaign but there is a belief that he will have recovered within the next month.
Chelsea are keen to streamline and refine their squad in January and Chalobah is a likely contender to make way. A swathe of defensive reinforcements at Stamford Bridge means that he might not have had a prominent role under Pochettino even if he had been available.
Injury-stricken Palace are among the clubs who have identified Chalobah as a potential signing if he is made available. However, there is also interest from Serie A and from German champions Bayern Munich, where he is well thought of by the former Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel.
In Palace’s favour is that a decision over a potential destination might well come down to where Chalobah will earn the most game time having missed the first half of the season. The player’s versatility is understood to have piqued the interest of the South Londoners.
While Chalobah has made his name at Chelsea as a defender, it is in midfield where he could find a place in Roy Hodgson’s team. He played mostly as a defensive midfielder during loan spells at Huddersfield and Ipswich earlier in his career.
Palace lost the hugely influential Cheick Doucoure to a potentially season-ending knee injury in November. Chris Richards – a more natural defender – has been used as the sitting midfielder since Doucoure’s injury but that move does not appear to be a long-term solution.
Chalobah is comfortable in midfield and featured there plenty during his time in Chelsea’s academy.
Palace are not expected to be hugely busy in the January transfer window. Chairman Steve Parish has already admitted that loans will be prioritised, with Chalobah likely to come under that category should he be signed.
The club spent close to an initial £45m on summer purchases with Dean Henderson, Jefferson Lerma, Rob Holding and the Brazilian youngster Matheus Franca all arriving at Selhurst Park.
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
“There are one or two things we’d like to do, probably more loans than buys,” Parish told Amazon Prime earlier this month. “We would really look to the summer to do anything major. We have a good squad, I think the players are very good, and I think we have a good points tally.”
A replacement for Doucoure is likely to be the priority but there is interest in another forward if a deal can be done. Palace tried hard to sign the Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike in the summer and will again compete with Premier League rivals for the 21-year-old, who has played just once in Ligue 1 this season.
Full-back is another position where Palace need to upgrade in 2024 but Hodgson’s contentment with the experienced Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne at right-back, and with the club’s only recognised senior left-back Tyrick Mitchell, means that task could be pushed back to the summer.
Source: Read Full Article
