England manager Thomas Tuchel will be forced to make at least one change to his team for their match against Panama on Saturday, with full-back Reece James ruled out through injury.
The Chelsea captain has suffered horrendously with injury problems in recent years, but had been enjoying a period without setback in recent months.
James will miss Saturday’s match, though, as well as England’s round of 32 game, and he could even miss the rest of the tournament.
One player that could replace James is his Chelsea teammate Trevoh Chalobah, who was drafted into the squad at the last minute following a late injury to Tino Livramento.
Away from the action, though, it appears that the defender’s club future may lie away from Stamford Bridge.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chalobah is on the radar of Italian sides Inter Milan and Como.
The reporter claims that the two Serie A clubs are both keeping tabs on the Englishman, who will be allowed to leave Chelsea for the right price this summer.
Como are already said to have made an official offer for Chalobah, however the player himself is said to currently be fully focussed on the World Cup with England.
Chalobah is a product of Chelsea’s academy and has played more than 150 times for the club across all competitions, as well as having several loan spells away from SW6.
The defender previously had loan spells with Ipswich Town, Lorient and Huddersfield Town, and was sent on loan to Crystal Palace ahead of the 2024/25 season but returned to Stamford Bridge in January 2025.
Chalobah featured regularly for Tuchel during the German’s time in charge of Chelsea, and looks set to feature once again for him during England’s game against Panama on Saturday.
The defender’s current contract with Chelsea isn’t set to expire until the end of the 2027/28 campaign.