Tottenham delight, as top source shuts down Man Utd links with Chelsea star to leave Postecoglou in clear
Armando Broja speaks with Trevoh Chalobah before Chelsea game
Tottenham Hotspur have been given a boost in their chase to sign Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea, as a trusted source has ruled Manchester United out of the picture.
Chalobah was heavily linked with a move to Bayern in the summer after Chelsea added to their defensive ranks by signing Axel Disasi from Monaco as a replacement for the injured Wesley Fofana. It was well documented that former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was hoping to reunite with Chalobah at the Allianz Arena.
The two clubs held talks over a potential transfer deep into the transfer window, but they ultimately could not reach an agreement. While Bayern only wanted to sign Chalobah on loan, Chelsea were hoping to offload him through a permanent transfer, as that would’ve helped to balance their books.
As such, the centre-back remained at Stamford Bridge. However, he is yet to make an appearance for the Blues this season, as Chelsea revealed in October that he had suffered a setback on his recovery from a hamstring issue.
Even if Chalobah does return to full fitness in the near future, it is unlikely he will play often under Mauricio Pochettino. That is because Chelsea also have Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Disasi and Benoit Badiashile in their squad. Fofana, meanwhile, will miss most of the 2023/24 campaign after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury.
Chalobah’s problematic situation at Chelsea has put rival clubs on alert. After Fabrizio Romano revealed Chelsea have ‘100 per cent decided’ to offload Chalobah in January, clubs including Man Utd, Bayern and Borussia Dortmund have all been linked.
And on Sunday, it emerged that Tottenham will attempt to sign the 24-year-old this winter. Manager Ange Postecoglou is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements following Micky van de Ven’s injury, and he does not fully trust Eric Dier.
Transfer expert Romano has now provided an update on the situation. The journalist has handed Spurs a lift by stating that they will not face competition from Man Utd for Chalobah. Instead, Erik ten Hag’s side will pursue other defenders including Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva and Jean-Clair Todibo.
Man Utd not interested in Trevoh Chalobah deal – Fabrizio Romano
“One player who is expected to leave Chelsea… is Trevoh Chalobah, who was a target for both Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest during the summer. He remains out of the first-team picture and so, as previously reported, I 100 per cent expect him to leave Stamford Bridge this January,” Romano said in an interview with CaughtOffside.
“Still, I’m not convinced by the recent rumours linking Chalobah with Manchester United – it seems to me like easy ‘guess work’ because he is leaving Chelsea and Man United want to sign a centre-back. It seems like normal links, but I’m honestly not aware of anything concrete there, with no negotiations as of now.
“My understanding remains that United want a CB signing as a priority in 2024, with targets such as Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva, Edmond Tapsoba and Jean-Clair Todibo on their list when I spoke to sources recently. There has been no mention of Chalobah, and I will update you if anything changes on that front, but so far there is nothing new.”
