Wolves join Everton in transfer race to land £20m-rated Champions League winning star

Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers have expressed an interest in forgotten Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell, as the 28-year-old aims to finally put an end to his Stamford Bridge nightmare.

The 21-time England international was told by Enzo Maresca over the summer that he was surplus to requirements in West London after four and half years with the club. "With (Chilwell), I said he is a lovely guy but with his position, he's going to struggle with us,” Said Maresca back in August.

Chilwell is actively seeking a new chapter in his career after failing to make the team’s Premier League and Europa Conference League squads this term. The ex-Leicester City defender has only played 45 minutes of first team football this season which came during a 5-0 demolition of League Two Barrow in the Carabao Cup, but has otherwise played no role in Chelsea’s season so far.

Enzo Maresca comments on Ben Chilwell’s future

Enzo Maresca admitted this month that he felt shame over his treatment of Chilwell, but reiterated that the defender would not be part of his plans moving forward. He explained: "Because players want to play more, there's probably chances for them to leave. "But Ben has been top. I have to say that he has been top. Very professional, works hard. I feel shame because of that situation but in terms of behaviour, he has been very good."

The Italian went on to elaborate on why Chilwell simply didn’t suit his footballing philosophy: "First of all because it is my choice. And because I can see Malo Gusto, Reece James or Marc Cucurella doing different kind of jobs during the game.

"I think Chilwell is a top full-back, doing that job up and down and given opportunity in past to win titles and be in the national team, but I struggle to see Ben doing different kinds of things."

Who is leading the race to sign Ben Chilwell?

England international Ben Chilwell has experienced a huge fall from grace in recent seasons after persistent struggles with injuries and now Enzo Maresca’s decision to freeze him out of his Chelsea squad.

However, the Milton-Keynes-born defender is still held in high regard from his incredible five-year stint at Leicester City and his pivotal role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph under Thomas Tuchel in 2020/21.

As it stands, Caught Offside understands Wolves are very keen to bring the full-back on board, particularly with uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Rayan Ait-Nouri. However, they are not the only club in the race and further reports from the same outlet suggest all of Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Napoli,, Stuttgart, Bournemouth, former club Leicester City and AC Milan are maintaining a watching brief at the moment.

Everton, under the new management of David Moyes, are also believed to be in the running for the left-back’s signature, according to Liverpool World.

It is understood Chelsea are seeking a figure of £25m for Chilwell, which is around half the figure they paid four and a half years ago. However, the Blues could even be willing to accept an offer of around £20m to get the player off the books and give themselves a valuable PSR boost.