Chelsea have received fresh interest in a player who has struggled to garner any so far this month.

Chelsea could finally get their opportunity to offload a player they have struggled to offload this month. For much of the window, the Blues have been focused on offloading players to complete Enzo Maresca’s mission of having a more lean squad.

Maresca was ruthless in the summer, shifting plenty of unwanted players but not all of them were able to secure moves away. Ben Chilwell was one of those who failed to get a move despite being told he would not be included in the club’s plans moving forward.

Maresca has lived up to that promise, with Chilwell only making one appearance all season, in the Carabao Cup, but even so, the experienced left-back has struggled to attract interest, with his troubled injury history potentially putting off other clubs.

Though, there are now some whispers of interest from within the Premier League, with former scout Mick Brown telling Football Insider that Crystal Palace are interested in a deal to sign Chilwell. It’s claimed the Eagles want more competition for current starting left-back Tyrick Mitchell, and they could turn back to Chelsea after Trevoh Chalobah was recalled.

“I’ve heard Palace have shown an interest in Ben Chilwell,” Brown told Football Insider. “We’ve spoken before about Tyrick Mitchell and his future, and whether clubs could be interested in him. And a new left-back is something Palace have been looking to bring in because they haven’t got a lot of depth in that position.

“It wasn’t long ago he was an England international, and I don’t know the extent of his injury issues and what they’ve meant for him, but Palace will know all about it. It’s getting late in the transfer window as well, so options are limited. The opportunity to bring him in on loan has also come up since Chalobah went back to Chelsea. He’d do a good job for Palace. He’d be a good fit in their side. Plus, he lives in London so it’s a move that would suit all three parties.“

Chilwell is under contract until 2027 and he is currently valued at £16.7million. Though, his injury history means he will almost certainly have to prove he can stay fit during a loan deal before a club is willing to spend that kind of money on signing him permanently. Chelsea are likely to be open to any kind of deal in order to pay less of Chilwell’s wages for the rest of the season.