Chelsea star Chalobah ‘expected to leave in January’ after Pochettino denial

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Trevoh Chalobah is reportedly expected to leave Chelsea this season, having come close to departing the club during the summer transfer window. The Blues conducted a major reshuffle and are keen to continue offloading their fringe stars when January arrived.

Mauricio Pochettino made it no secret over the course of the summer that he required new signings in all departments. Robert Sanchez became his new No 1, with Nicolas Jackson signed to lead the line at Stamford Bridge.

The ex-Tottenham boss then conducted a significant rebuild of his midfield that saw Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia arrive to replace the ‘old guard’, who were offloaded early in the window to raise funds and create space in the squad.

Despite the defence being the subject of similar treatment under Graham Potter, Pochettino did push for Axel Disasi to be signed from AS Monaco and made it clear that Levi Colwill would remain at the club following his loan spell at Brighton. As a result, Chalobah continued to slip down the pecking order at his boyhood side throughout the summer despite performing well in pre-season.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, the versatile defender is therefore expected to leave the club once the transfer window opens again in January. Pochettino has made it clear to the 24-year-old that he is not part of his plans in both the short and long term, though denies ‘freezing him out’ despite speculation.

Bayern Munich registered an interest in Chalobah during the summer window and the player is said to have been keen to make the move to the Allianz Arena and reunite with Thomas Tuchel, but a deal never materialized. Nottingham Forest also arrived with a bid for the defender, but the player rejected the approach.

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Chalobah is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, though it is unlikely that he would be involved in Pochettino’s side regardless. According to Transfermarkt, the England Under-20 international is likely to fetch a fee in the region of £15million, but his homegrown status and long-term contract with Chelsea would indicate that the higher powers at the club will demand a higher fee.

The former Lorient loanee penned a new deal with the Blues last year that saw his deal extended until 2028, having been viewed as a key player under Potter due to how he could play anywhere across the backline and also progress into a more offensive role when the system required versatility in midfield.

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