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Levi Colwill leaves Chelsea in limbo over future after Brighton admission
Levi Colwill’s future will be decided this summer when he returns to Chelsea from his loan spell at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 20-year-old has excelled for the Seagulls this season after making 16 Premier League appearances, which has seen Brighton qualify for next season’s Europa League.
Colwill’s performances have attracted interest from Manchester City and Liverpool, while Brighton are keen to try to keep hold of the English defender this summer despite Chelsea’s insistence on keeping hold of the defender.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi recently admitted: “I hope he can play with us also next year but it’s his decision and decision of Chelsea. I don’t know. We have to be ready to change some players but of course Levi is a top player for us.”
Colwill played his final home game at the Amex on Wednesday night as they drew 1-1 with champions Man City, with Brighton fans calling for him to return to the south coast.
That decision will be in the hands of Chelsea and incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is thought to be an avid admirer of Colwill.
The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership were adamant of not letting Colwill leave on a permanent basis last summer and contract talks are planned to extend his current deal ahead of the 2023/24 season as they look to move him into the first-team in west London.
Colwill was asked about his future by The Athletic, and replied: “Brighton have done a lot for me. They put their trust in me when others didn’t and I’m a person that loves to repay that. We’ll see.
“I don’t know what is going to happen (at Chelsea). I’m still here until the end of the season. I just focus on that, then I’ve got the Euros (the Under-21 European Championship with England) in the summer.
“After that, we’ll see what happens and go from there.”
Whether the youngster would be open to another loan switch to Brighton next season, Colwill added: “Who knows, we’ll see what happens in the summer. I love the Brighton fans, I love everything about them (the club). I’ll take that into consideration.”
Following their 1-1 draw with Man City, Colwill took to Twitter to share a photo of him with former Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour.