Chelsea defender suffers ACL injury in training - out for season

Chelsea will likely need to sign a new defender before the close of the transfer window after Levi Colwill sustained an ACL injury in training, and the centre-back has already undergone successful surgery. The announcement from the Blues came late on Thursday, and now a new centre-back will be needed ahead of the start of the season.

It is a bitter blow for Chelsea, who see the 22-year-old as the centre-back who could eventually replace club legend John Terry, and Colwill also now has four caps for England to his name.

A statement from Chelsea read: "The 22-year-old had reported back to Cobham for pre-season at the start of this week, before unfortunately sustaining the injury in training. Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action. Levi will now begin his recovery and be supported by the club’s medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase."

Chelsea have been linked with numerous new players, but as exclusively reported by eyefootball this week, Joane Gadou appears to be the top priority, the center-back currently playing for RB Salzburg.