Crystal Palace and Ipswich eyeing £50m Chelsea man in January, as secret Enzo Maresca plan revealed

Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town are weighing up moves for Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell, while a report has revealed the true reasoning behind the defender’s return to training and his inclusion in the Blues’ Premier League squad.

Chilwell formed part of the so-called ‘bomb squad’ over the summer – a cluster of first-team stars Chelsea had zero intention of using and hoped to sell. The majority of those players were successfully offloaded in some form or fashion, such as Trevoh Chalobah (Crystal Palace – loan), Raheem Sterling (Arsenal – loan), Armando Broja (Everton – loan) and Romelu Lukaku (Napoli – initial £25.2m).

However, left-back Ben Chilwell remained and with the vast bulk of transfer windows now closed, the 27-year-old is stuck at Stamford Bridge.

But according to a fresh update from the Sun, Chilwell – who cost Chelsea £50m when signed from Leicester in 2020 – could be on the move in January. They stated Premier League pair Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town are both ‘tracking’ the defender ahead of potential winter window swoops. Whether the two interest clubs would favour a six-month loan deal or a permanent buy was not made clear.

But what is now clear is the reasoning behind Chelsea and manager Enzo Maresca reintegrating Chilwell back into their plans. Indeed, despite being cast aside over the summer, Chilwell has returned to training this week and was named in the Blues’ 25-man squad for the first half of the Premier League season.

According to Give Me Sport, Chelsea have brought Chilwell back in from the cold so as not to jeopardise their chances of securing a January transfer.

The report clarified that Chelsea’s best chances of generating strong interest comes through Chilwell playing somewhat regularly between now and then. Indeed, clubs may be reluctant to move for a player who has been sat on the sidelines for the past six months.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Chelsea first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Where will Chilwell minutes come from?

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Fraser Gillan, has been able to verify Palace and Ipswich’s interest in Chilwell.

However, a key question remains – exactly when and where will Chilwell get the minutes to put himself in the shop window given he’s clearly unfancied by Maresca?

Chilwell was not named in Chelsea’s Conference League squad named back on September 5. As such, Europe’s third-tier competition will not provide Maresca with an opportunity to feature Chilwell.

Instead, the League Cup could be where the 21-cap England international gets a chance to shine.

The Blues host League Two side Barrow in the third round on Tuesday, September 24. Should Chelsea advance, the fourth round and quarter-finals will also take place long before the January window opens.

Marc Cucurella is first choice at left-back and summer recruit Renato Veiga has appeared in five out of a possible six matches so far this season.

It is at their expense Chilwell’s minutes must come if he’s to feature prominently in the Premier League.

Cole Palmer future / Jamal Musiala confirmation

In other news, Chelsea have been tipped to sell Cole Palmer for a nine-figure sum amid talk he’s a future Manchester United player.

TEAMtalk has been able to confirm Chelsea hold genuine interest in bringing Bayern Munich ace Jamal Musiala back to west London.

Musiala was on Chelsea’s books as a youth team player and has since developed into an exceptional attacker in Munich.

Manchester City are considered favourites to snap up Musiala at this stage, though Bayern are determined to tie the Germany international down to a new and improved contract.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have been linked with re-signing another of their former players who is also being courted by Liverpool.

How Chilwell compares to those he’d replace

Two players who’ll have a keen eye on Chilwell’s future are the current starting left-sided defenders for Crystal Palace (Tyrick Mitchell) and Ipswich (Leif Davis).

Chilwell failed to score in 21 appearances in all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign and registered just one assist.

In comparison, Mitchell registered four assists in 41 appearances last season and also scored in wins over Manchester United and Burnley.

Unlike Chilwell and Mitchell, Davis was playing in the Championship last season but he was incredibly effective in the final third for Ipswich Town.

The 24-year-old registered two goals and a mammoth 21 assists in 44 appearances in 2023/24, averaging a direct goal contribution every 166.1 minutes.

While modern full-backs like to get forward and support the attacking players, they still have to do a job defensively.

Chilwell and Davis both averaged 1.8 tackles per 90 league minutes in 2023/24, which is bettered by Mitchell (2.9).

Mitchell also comes out on top with clearances as he averaged 2.4 per 90 league minutes, while Chilwell registered 2.0 and Davis averaged 1.1.

In terms of interceptions, Davis leads the way with 1.1 per 90 minutes. Mitchell is in second place with 0.7, closely followed by Chilwell with 0.5.