Chelsea outcast Ben Chilwell could join Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce after Manchester United swiftly rejected the chance to sign him.
Enzo Maresca's Blues were in contact with the Red Devils on Deadline Day, as a deal for Jadon Sancho was finalised after Raheem Sterling was banished to Arsenal. But, one of their other exiled stars, Chilwell, was reportedly in discussions to head the opposite direction to Sancho.
Chilwell had been told earlier in the summer he was free to leave but no club came forward despite reported interest from United and other Premier League sides.
Erik ten Hag's side are short at left-back with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia proving to be injury prone but United opted to focus on other areas, bringing in Manuel Ugarte from PSG in a deal which could rise to £50m to boost their midfield options.
According to The Independent, United were offered the chance to sign the England left-back in a possible swap deal, but they abruptly refused and shut down such talks. Chilwell, 27, remains very much on the periphery at Stamford Bridge and has been told to seek pastures new by his Italian boss.
With the English transfer deadline passed, a move to his boyhood United is off the table but former Chelsea and United boss Mourinho could save him, as it is reported his Fenerbahce side are interested in offering Chilwell a reprieve, as per Give Me Sport.
After players like the left-back were left out of Chelsea's opening match against Manchester City, Maresca made clear that this later-named 'bomb squad' had no future at Stamford Bridge.
"We have a big squad and it is impossible to give all of them minutes, so probably it is better to leave," Maresca stated. "Brutal? I just try to be honest. Chilwell is a lovely guy but because of his position he is going to struggle with us.
“It is not my problem. I am here to take decisions and think the best for us. I am not thinking about how many years are on the contracts. They have a 20-year contract? I don't care. It's not my job. I'm working with 21, 22 players. I'm not working with 42, 43 players.
"I can see you like to say we have 43 players but more than 15 players are training apart. They are not working with me every day. I don't see them. It's not a mess like it looks from outside."
Chilwell featured quite far up the pitch under Mauricio Pochettino last season before hamstring and knee issues disrupted his campaign. He has now been replaced in the starting XI by Marc Cucurella.
"I love the way he trains," Maresca added when speaking about Chilwell. "I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position.
"When you train every day and you don't get minutes, it's not good for them, and it's not good for me because I need to make decisions. For some players, it's sometimes better to leave and to go somewhere to get minutes. We will see what happens."
The player Chelsea signed for £50million just four years ago is now supposedly open to a loan move away from the Premier League, and Mourinho’s Turkish giants could be an ideal place for him to resurrect a stuttering career after missing out on playing in Euro 2024 with England.
Should a move fail to materialise, Chilwell could find himself stranded at Chelsea with most windows in Europe now shut. Saudi Arabia's is open until September 2, Turkey's until September 18 while clubs in the Netherlands and Portugal can still do business until Monday, leaving the England star with little time and few options other than Fenerbache at present.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.