Southampton are among those to have 'contacted' the representatives of Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, according to 90min

The lowdown: Rising star

A product of the acclaimed Cobham academy system at Chelsea, Chalobah has spent time on loan at Ipswich, Huddersfield and FC Lorient during his fledgeling career.

The 23-year-old England youth international has also made 30 outings for the Chelsea senior side having cut his teeth with 74 appearances across the various youth levels.

However, as Chelsea attempt to sign Leicester City star Wesley Fofana having already added Kalidou Koulibaly, now it appears as though Chalobah could be on the move and the south coast is among the possible landing spots...

The latest: Saints named

As per 90min, Southampton, Everton, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest are all attentive to the three-cap Under 21 ace's situation.

It's claimed that Serie A duo Inter Milan and AS Roma have both 'expressed an interest' as Chalobah nears a 'possible loan exit' from Stamford Bridge.

The report states that the Saints 'would be interested in signing' the versatile starlet - who was lauded for an 'unbelievable' UEFA Super Cup performance in 2021 by Rio Ferdinand - and they have 'contacted' the player's representatives.

The verdict: Bednarek replacement

Should central defensive mainstay Jan Bednarek leave St Mary's as now seems certain amidst interest from Napoli and Aston Villa, it's imperative that the hierarchy find an adequate replacement to fill the void.

As things stand, Bednarek's departure would leave Ralph Hasenhuttle with only Lyanco, Jack Stephens, Mohammed Salisu and summer signing Armel Bella-Kotchap at his disposal as genuine centre-back options.

Last season, Chalobah scored four times and provided two assists in 30 senior outings across all competitions, proving his Premier League credentials whilst earning a superb 7.23 SofaScore rating comprising of 4.8 successful duels and 2.1 clearances on average per game.

Sharing similar stylistic traits to renowned top-level defenders such as Joel Matip, Pau Torres and Ibrahima Konate (FBref), signing the talented £18million valued Englishman would be a sensational coup for Southampton, even were it to only be on a temporary basis.