Major transfer blow for Brighton and Liverpool as £40m target remains untouchable

Chelsea are not willing to entertain offers for the 20-year-old defender, who starred for England Under-21s as they beat Israel 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the European Championship final in Georgia.

Colwill is currently contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2024 with an option of another year if certain criteria are met.

The left-footed defender spent last season on loan at Brighton where he made 22 appearances and established himself as a Premier League player as the Seagulls qualified for Europe.

Colwill was excellent for Albion and their head coach Roberto De Zerbi was a huge fan and said he would like to work with Colwill for the next four years. Colwill also enjoyed working with the Italian.

"He's a great guy,” he said in an interview with the BBC. “He wants the best, I want the best – he wants the same thing as me. I'm happy to have worked under him.

"I think he showed me how to get there [the top level]. Now I feel like that has helped something switch in my head and realise that I'm not here to just be here. I'm here to learn and grow as a player."

It is understood Chelsea are not prepared to listen to any offers, including from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who reportedly made a fresh enquiry this week.

Brighton were prepared to smash their transfer record to land Colwill this summer but a deal now looks highly unlikely and Albion could turn their full attention to Ajax’s Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey.