(4-2-3-1) New Manchester United formation with Ben chiwell as the board set to strengthen the left back position by January

England defender Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester City in 2020, playing more than 100 first-team games during an injury-hit four years in West London. The 27-year-old signed a contract extension towards the end of the 2022-23 season, with his current deal running until the summer of 2027.

Since signing that deal, though, two changes of manager have left him down the pecking order. Current boss Enzo Maresca has been brutally honest with the left-back, who barely featured in pre-season and has been told he will struggle for minutes without a move.

A transfer to Premier League rivals United is among the possibilities explored, though it’s far from straightforward. Erik ten Hag’s side are currently without injured duo Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, which may explain Chelsea’s approach.

According to talkSPORT, United have been offered the chance to sign Chilwell and Chelsea would not stand in the way of a move. He wasn’t part of the squad chosen by Maresca to face Manchester City on Sunday, with Marc Cucurella starting at left-back.

“With Chilly it’s quite clear,” Maresca said in the lead-up to the Premier League opener. “I love the way he trains, 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 everyday 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 transfer window is open and we will see what happens.”

Chilwell is one of a number of senior stars left out of Maresca’s squad to face Servette in Thursday’s Europa Conference League play-off first leg. Raheem Sterling has also been omitted, with the former Manchester City star losing his squad number to summer signing Pedro Neto on Wednesday.

Sterling, like Chilwell, was left out of the matchday squad on Sunday. “I’m not saying Raheem is not a good player but I prefer different kinds of wingers. This is the reason why,” the manager said.