"We need to provide the best to improve him" - Mauricio Pochettino lavishes praise on 'fantastic' Chelsea star

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that Chelsea will not be selling defender Levi Colwill this summer. He is adamant that the Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool target will remain at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton and Liverpool have been pushing to sign Colwill this summer but their moves have been blocked by Chelsea. The Blues have rejected a bid from the Seagulls, while the Reds have not yet launched a bid.

Speaking to the media before their friendly game against Brighton, Pochettino stated that he was handing Colwill his first start and will continue to work with him. He said:

"The potential is massive. He was fantastic last season with Brighton and England. We need to provide the best to improve him. He's a fantastic player in the present and the capacity to improve in the future."

Following their 4-3 win over Brighton, Pochettino added that he was happy with the performance and backed the youngster to become one of the greatest center-backs in England. He added:

"We don't need to say anything or make a statement. He is our player and he is going to continue with us. I am happy with him, his performance was good today, better than what I expected because it is only the first game with us after the season with Brighton. I am so happy, he can be one of the greatest centre-backs in England."

Colwill gave away a penalty in the second half, but Chelsea managed to hold on for a 4-3 win.

Brighton manager confirms he wants Chelsea star signed

Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Brighton are interested in signing Levi Colwill. He believes that the Chelsea star is one of the best and is happy to do a swap deal which would see Moises Caicedo move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have been in talks with Brighton over a deal for the Ecuadorian star, but have had two bids rejected, as per The Athletic. De Zerbi was not happy with the questions over the midfielder's possible move and hit back saying they were also interested in keeping the midfielder as well as signing Colwill. He said via ESPN:

"There are two questions. Not only about Caicedo, also about Colwill, and maybe it can be [a swap]. I would like to play with Caicedo and Colwill together but at the moment I can only speak about Caicedo as Colwill is not one of my players."

The Athletic have reported that Brighton saw a £30 million bid rejected by Chelsea earlier this summer. The Blues are unwilling to entertain offers for Colwill and are readying a new contract for the youngster.