Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi has suggested that loan star Levi Colwill would be ready to step into the Chelsea first-team if Thiago Silva departs this summer.
Colwill, 20, moved to the Amex on a season-long deal back in the summer and has earned plenty of plaudits following a string of commanding performances.
The Chelsea academy graduate is expected to return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and will be given the chance to stake a claim under a new head coach, with Mauricio Pochettino set to be confirmed as the new Blues boss in the coming days.
De Zerbi has seen first hand how much Colwill has grown this term - and the Italian would love to work with with the highly-rated youngster for years to come.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Brighton boss said of Colwill: "I would like to work with him for another two, three, four years. It’s difficult to find a another centre-back, left centre-back, with his quality.
"He’s a good guy, I think he’s improving a lot. This year his improvement has been fantastic. I hope he can stay with us."
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De Zerbi's glowing endorsement of Colwill could hardly come at a better time for Pochettino amid speculation over Silva's long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
The veteran defender has been one of the Blues' most influential players since arriving in west London but could return to his native Brazil at the end of the campaign. Silva's boyhood club, Fluminense, are interested in acquiring the 38-year-old's services.
While it remains to be seen if Silva would be open to departing Chelsea, such a move would provide Colwill with the perfect opportunity to stake claim for regular first-team football under Pochettino, who has garnered a reputation for nurturing young talent throughout his managerial career.
Silva has enjoyed life at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues from Paris Saint-Germain, but he did let rip at club co-owner Todd Boehly last month. He said: "I think the first step has been made. An incorrect step, but it has been made. We can't be blaming the managers if we don't take responsibility. It's a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.
"Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn't fit the size of the squad. A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy.
"There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that's tough. Some can't make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes."