Trevoh Chalobah 'expected to leave Chelsea in January'

The Blues academy graduate has risen through the youth ranks to become a first-team regular in recent years, but he is down the pecking order under Mauricio Pochettino.

All of Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile are preferred in the heart of defence, although a thigh injury has not helped Chalobah's chances of making an impression in the early stages of the 2023-24 season.

The 24-year-old is yet to make a competitive appearance for the West London club in the current campaign, but Pochettino has revealed that he is close to returning to full training.

As a result, Chalobah could return to the fold within the next couple of weeks, as the defender seeks to prove his worth to Pochettino after a protracted summer transfer saga.

Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest were both thought to have been interested in a deal for Chalobah during the most recent window, while a move to Inter Milan was frequently mooted too.

The window slammed shut with Chalobah still on the books at Stamford Bridge, though, and Pochettino recently insisted that the defender remains a part of his plans for the season.

In contrast, however, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that the former England Under-21 international is likely to depart over the winter, despite Pochettino's recent affirmations.

Romano claims that all parties involved accept that Chalobah's Chelsea career is nearing an end, and the centre-back was open to a switch to Bayern, who have been tipped to reignite their interest in January.

Forest offered Chalobah an alternative escape route from West London, but the 24-year-old allegedly rejected the chance to join Steve Cooper's team amid his search for European football.

Chalobah has donned the Chelsea colours for 16 years, having joined the club's youth academy in 2007, but he was loaned out to Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Lorient before making a first-team breakthrough.

Since earning his debut in 2021, Chalobah has scored four goals and set up one more in 63 appearances for the Blues, making 18 Premier League starts in the 2022-23 campaign.

Chalobah's versatility came in handy, as the Englishman was deployed as a centre-back and right-back for his boyhood club, but his efforts were only good enough to help Chelsea finish 12th in the Premier League.

The Blues moved a host of unwanted defenders on over the summer, cutting Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ethan Ampadu and Baba Rahman from the ranks, while Lewis Hall joined Newcastle United on loan with a £35m obligation to buy.

However, Chelsea failed to shift the out-of-favour Malang Sarr, who was left out of Pochettino's 25-man Premier League squad for the current campaign.