Trevoh Chalobah has been “told that he can leave Chelsea” with West Ham, Crystal Palace and Everton pursuing his signature, according to TEAMtalk.

The website claims that some teams have even started talking with the defender’s representatives ahead of making bids for the player.

Chalobah’s future at Stamford Bridge was placed in doubt after the Blues signed Axel Disasi from Monaco last week. Manager Mauricio Pochettino plays with a four-man backline but he now has five centre-backs in his squad, excluding the injured Wesley Fofana.

It means that Chalobah could find himself quite a way down the pecking order, so a departure before the transfer window closes looks more and more inevitable.

Chelsea are demanding a sizeable sum for the player

It was reported last week that Chalobah’s club had placed a £45m asking price on the defender, which is a massive fee. Manager David Moyes has been looking at signing Manchester United’s Harry Maguire who would be a cheaper alternative.

However, TEAMtalk do claim that Chalobah may also be available on loan, with an option to buy, which could make the 24-year-old a more attractive option.

Chalobah is weighing up a move abroad

Despite plenty of interest from Premier League clubs, there is a danger that the centre-back may be attracted by proposals outside of England.

There are believed to be teams in Italy, France and Germany all keen on signing Chalobah. While none of them would offer the wages that the likes of West Ham could give the player, there are other factors. The chance of playing in the Champions League, for example, may be enough to tempt him into making the switch abroad.

You do feel that out of all the teams interested in Chalobah, though, the Hammers have the most financial resources available to make the deal happen if they so wished. The sales of Declan Rice, Gianluca Scamacca and potentially Nikola Vlasic mean the club has a sizeable transfer budget to play with.