Trevoh Chalobah gives Inter green light as Chelsea demand €35m

Trevoh Chalobah is open to leaving Chelsea for Inter Milan this summer, giving the Serie A champions encouragement as they work on a permanent deal for the defender.

Inter have held fresh talks with Chalobah’s representatives and discovered that the 26-year-old would be happy to move to Milan. The main obstacle is now Chelsea, who are reportedly demanding €35 million for a player who featured regularly last season.

According to Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter want to reach an agreement in principle with Chalobah before opening formal negotiations with Chelsea. Personal terms are not expected to create a major problem, but convincing the Blues on the transfer fee could be considerably harder.

Chalobah’s agent has recently been in Milan, allowing Inter to hold another round of discussions over a possible summer move.

Those talks appear to have strengthened the Italian club’s position. Chalobah is said to favour Inter and has given the green light to the possibility of joining the Serie A champions.

That does not mean a transfer is close to completion. Inter have yet to agree personal terms with the England international, while negotiations with Chelsea have not started.

The player’s willingness to make the move does, however, remove one potential obstacle. Inter can now focus on establishing the financial terms of the deal and finding out whether Chelsea are prepared to negotiate on their €35m valuation.

The situation is complicated by Chelsea’s pursuit of Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix.

Lacroix has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after the World Cup, and his possible arrival would increase the competition in Chelsea’s defence. There have also been suggestions that Chalobah could move in the opposite direction as part of those discussions.

Inter are now trying to position themselves as a separate option.

Chalobah was far from a fringe player last season. He made 47 appearances and played 3,719 minutes for Chelsea, underlining his importance across a demanding campaign. Any decision to sell him would therefore need to make sense financially as well as in terms of squad planning.

The timing of Inter’s approach is significant. If Lacroix arrives, the Blues may become more open to Chalobah’s departure, but they have little reason to accept a heavily discounted offer for an experienced homegrown defender.

Inter’s next challenge is the most important one: finding a transfer structure that Chelsea will accept.

Neither Corriere dello Sport nor Gazzetta dello Sport indicates whether Inter are prepared to meet the full €35m asking price. There is also no reported figure for the offer the Italian champions intend to make.

That uncertainty leaves a sizeable gap between the player being open to the move and the clubs actually reaching an agreement.

Como had previously shown interest and made bids for Chalobah, but they are now reported to have withdrawn because of the overall cost of the operation. Their exit gives Inter less competition, although it also highlights the financial difficulty of completing the transfer on Chelsea’s current terms.

For Chalobah, the situation could become clearer once the World Cup ends and Chelsea’s pursuit of Lacroix develops. He remains part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad but has yet to appear at the tournament.

Inter are expected to continue working towards an agreement with Chalobah before beginning negotiations with Chelsea. The player’s approval gives them a platform, but the transfer will depend on whether the Italian champions can get close enough to Chelsea’s valuation.

Developments around Lacroix could also prove decisive. If Chelsea complete that signing after the World Cup, the shape of their defence may change quickly and Inter could find a clearer route to Chalobah.

Should Chelsea accept €35m for Trevoh Chalobah if Maxence Lacroix arrives?