Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Trevor Chalobah will be a part of his squad for the 2021-22 campaign but refused to reveal whether the centre-back would be signing a new contract.

The 22-year-old had been expected to spend another season out on loan following spells away from the club at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Lorient.

Chalobah impressed for the Blues during pre-season, though, before appearing against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

A recent report claimed that the defender had done enough to convince Tuchel to keep him at the club this season, and the Blues head coach has revealed that the academy product is in his plans for 2021-22.

"He did a fantastic pre-season with us. He is a top player and a top character. He took his chance very impressively," football.london quotes Tuchel as saying.

"He played very good matches in pre-season, performed for 120 minutes against Villarreal and another strong 90 minutes against Crystal Palace. It's logical that he stays here. He is a guy we want to keep and this is his status.

"It's not a gift, it's what he deserves for now. It's a good situation and a good situation for us. I don't know what it means for his contract."

Chelsea will be looking to make it back-to-back wins at the start of the new Premier League season when they travel to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. body check tags ::