Photo by Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Josh Acheampong is highly rated at Chelsea but could struggle for game time under Xabi Alonso in the new season.
Levi Colwill has recovered from his ACL injury, while Chelsea have signed Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.
Palace could now speak to Chelsea about potentially signing Acheampong before the end of the transfer window.
Josh Acheampong Chelsea sale not being ruled out
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on Si Phillips Talks Chelsea that the Blues and their London rivals are set to hold face-to-face talks this week.
According to Phillips, Acheampong is one name who is likely to be on the agenda once those discussions commence.
Chelsea’s stance has always been that Acheampong is not for sale and that the defender is “untouchable”. But sources have told Phillips that a permanent transfer this summer cannot be ruled out.
Josh-Kofi Acheampong and Levi Colwill of Chelsea
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Palace signing Acheampong would make plenty of sense. As already mentioned, they have lost Lacroix to Chelsea, while Daniel Munoz is attracting interest from Everton.
Acheampong can play at both centre-back and right-back so could be a useful signing for Pierre Sage.
Chelsea should only allow Josh Acheampong to leave the club on loan
The sad reality for Acheampong is, regardless of how much talent and potential he has, he is not going to start ahead of Colwill and Lacroix at Stamford Bridge.
You would not blame him for wanting to leave Chelsea permanently, but he is still only 20 and anything can happen in football. There is no reason why Acheampong cannot become a starter for the Blues in the future.
Therefore, Chelsea should only be considering loan approaches for their academy product between now and the end of the transfer window.
Acheampong has pace, height, strength and technical ability. He is going to be an elite modern-day centre-half one day, which is why Chelsea would be daft to sell the England Under-21 international.
If Palace want Acheampong, they can take him on loan, but that is it.