Levi Colwill has remained coy about his future at Chelsea once his loan with Brighton comes to an end this summer.
The 20-year-old was excellent last season in the Championship with Huddersfield and has shone on his step up to the Premier League with Brighton this year. His loan with the Seagulls was initially rumoured to include a permanent purchase clause but Chelsea ensured the contract was simply a straight loan.
Colwill will return to Stamford Bridge in the summer, when he will have two years remaining on his contract. As 90min revealed earlier this month, Chelsea are braced for some tricky decisions in the coming months as they seek to avoid players entering the final 24 months of their deals.
Sources have confirmed Chelsea plan to keep Colwill around and do not want to sell him permanently, although much will depend on the academy graduate's feelings on his future.
Chelsea have signed no fewer than four new defenders this year - Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly - which may impact Colwill's decision.
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Asked recently what the future holds for him, Colwill refused to give anything away.
"I haven't thought about it [his future] to be honest," he said. "Every day we work hard here [at Brighton] and that is all I can focus on. If I start planning for the future things might not go well here and everything changes.
"This is my main priority right now, I am just sticking in and working hard with my teammates.
"I have loved every minute of it [his time at Brighton]. I have learned so much, even when I wasn't playing and now I am getting minutes, coming back from injury - I can't complain."
90min understands Brighton are keen to retain Colwill, either permanently or on a second loan deal, while Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester City are known to be monitoring the situation.
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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Harry Kane's future at Tottenham Hotspur, Joao Felix potentially joining Chelsea on a permanent basis, David Raya, Marco Asensio, Alexis Mac Allister & more!
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Source : 90min