Levi Colwill looks set to be given the chance to impress Mauricio Pochettino in Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Brighton. The two sides will lock horns at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday night (19:00 EST / 00:00 BST) as part of the Premier League Summer Series.
Earlier this week, the Blues stormed past Wrexham in the Florida Cup where Pochettino was able to get a first glimpse at what he's working with this season. While several youngsters caught his eye, the Chelsea boss was forced to play a weakened side due to the late arrivals of some high-profile players.
Colwill was among those who arrived in the United States late after he was granted an extended holiday following the Under-21 European Championship. Now, with a few days of training under his belt with the first-team, the 20-year-old defender will start against Brighton, according to Fabrizio Romano, where he'll have the chance to impress Pochettino.
But, it could be an awkward encounter against the Seagulls. The 20-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a return to the Amex Stadium following his impressive loan spell on the south coast.
Colwill, who sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire in 2025, featured 17 times for Brighton in the Premier League, helping Roberto De Zerbi's side keep five clean sheets. The England Under-21 international guided the Seagulls to a Europa League qualification spot ahead of Tottenham and, his parent club, Chelsea.
football.london understands that the Blues have been very impressed with Colwill's progress and he's expected to seek assurances over game time. It's said that Brighton have already seen two bids rejected by Chelsea, but that hasn't discouraged them from luring him back to the club.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Seagulls' clash with the west Londoners, De Zerbi claimed that a player-exchange could be the solution to Chelsea signing Moises Caicedo. The Italian said: "There are two questions.
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"Not only about Caicedo, also about Colwill, and maybe it can be [a swap]. I would like to play with Caicedo and Colwill together but at the moment I can only speak about Caicedo as Colwill is not one of my players."