Chelsea’s young star, Levi Colwill, has been spotted training with the England first team, stirring excitement ahead of the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers. Colwill, who has been preparing with the Three Lions’ U21 side for the Under-21 European Championships, is expected to return to the U21 team once his stint with the first team concludes.
However, there’s a chance that Colwill could make an appearance in Gareth Southgate’s team this weekend. The England squad is set to play Malta on Friday and host North Macedonia on Monday. The 20-year-old has not been officially called up to the senior team but is filling in for Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, who has had to withdraw from international duty due to injury.
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Southgate still has a strong selection of top centre-backs for the upcoming fixtures, including John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, and Marc Guehi. Midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is set to move from Dortmund to Real Madrid this summer, has also withdrawn due to a knee problem.
Colwill is one of only two Chelsea players in the current England training camp, the other being midfielder Conor Gallagher. He is being rewarded for an excellent campaign on loan at Brighton, where he helped the Seagulls qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.
The future of Colwill remains uncertain, with new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino keen to give him a chance at Stamford Bridge. Despite the Blues having a number of centre-backs, Colwill and Benoit Badiashile are the only natural left-sided ones. The club is eager not to lose another young and promising defender, having recently sold the likes of Guehi and Fikayo Tomori for less than their market value.
Colwill, however, is seeking guaranteed game time and is open to the idea of returning to the Amex, with Brighton seeing a £30million offer rejected. Roberto De Zerbi’s side is not backing down easily and is reportedly preparing a club-record £40m bid to sign him.
