Head coach Enzo Maresca has told Ben Chilwell it would be best to leave Chelsea ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday.
Chilwell, who has made 106 appearances for the Blues since his reported £45 million move from Leicester in 2020, has struggled with injuries in recent years.
The 27-year-old made 21 appearances in all competitions last season and missed 26 games due to a thigh injury, which was later followed by knee problems.
His subsequent injury woes saw him slip down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, while Marc Cucurella impressed with Spain at Euro 2024.
Chilwell played 64 minutes in Chelsea’s six pre-season games and did not play in the last three pre-season matches against Real Madrid, Manchester City and Inter.
“Chilly (Chilwell) is with us, but he hasn’t trained in the last few days because he was sick,” said Maresca.
“The reason he didn’t play against Inter was because it’s clear that with Chilly, even though I like him so much, he has a little trouble finding the right position.
“This morning 22 players trained and if you ask them all they will say they want to play against City on Sunday. But that’s impossible.”
“If you train every day and don’t get a single minute of play, that’s not good for her or for me.
“I have to make a decision and it’s probably better to leave and get playing time. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”
Chelsea kick off their season on Sunday against reigning champions City. It will be Maresca’s first competitive game as manager of the club.
The Blues have signed more players during the transfer window; Pedro Neto from Wolves is the latest of nine new arrivals at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the loan move of Lesley Ugochukwu and the permanent sale of Diego Moreira earlier this week, Maresca now has more than 40 players in his squad.
“We spent 20 days in America with 28 or 29 players, so it was pretty good to manage the squad,” Maresca added.
“Now we have guys who are not part of the squad and train separately.
“It’s not difficult at the moment, but when I start thinking that I have 43 players, that’s not good.”
