Trevoh Chalobah in line for new Chelsea contract

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has met with centre-back Trevoh Chalobah to inform the centre-back that he will be kept around the squad for the remainder of the season.

Brought in during pre-season to make up the numbers, Chalobah has been a revelation for Chelsea. He was excellent in the Super Cup final victory over Villarreal and then followed that up with a worldie of a goal in his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace.

Initially, he had been expected to head out on loan while Chelsea pursued Sevilla's Jules Kounde, but Goal state that Tuchel has had a change of heart and has now personally informed the 22-year-old that he will be in and around the squad for the remainder of the season.

Not only has he taken Chalobah off the loan list, but Tuchel has also ordered that contract talks be opened with the youngster - whose current deal has just two years left to run.

What this means for the Blues' pursuit of Kounde is not clear. Chelsea had been hoping to add a new centre-back this summer but have instead given that extra spot to Chalobah, meaning there is no room for a new face as it stands.

Frenchman Kurt Zouma continues to be heavily linked with an exit, with West Ham and Tottenham both named as suitors, but whether his departure alone would be enough to spark a move for Kounde remains up in the air.

With Chalobah staying around, Chelsea currently have six natural centre-backs on the books - Zouma, Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Ethan Ampadu are the others - and right-back Cesar Azpilicueta also sees regular minutes in that position as well.

On Ampadu, the Welshman played a limited role in pre-season and is yet to feature this year, but Tuchel still plans to keep him around and values his ability to play both in defence and in midfield highly.

There's also the matter of sorting out 22-year-old Malang Sarr's situation. The Frenchman returned from a mixed loan with Porto this summer but is yet to play any real role under Tuchel and is not being spoken about in any sort of rumours, whether that be to stay at the club or head out on loan again.