Inter Milan pull out of Trevoh Chalobah chase as Chelsea refuse to budge on €41m price tag

Xabi Alonso’s summer transfer plans at Chelsea have taken a hit after Inter Milan walked away from negotiations for Trevoh Chalobah, unwilling to meet the Blues’ €41 million (£35m) valuation. According to reports in Italy, the Serie A champions had been monitoring the 26-year-old academy graduate, but decided to end their interest when Chelsea made it clear they would not lower their asking price. The west London club had already rejected a €25m (£22m) bid from Como earlier in the window. Chalobah, who came through Chelsea’s youth system and made his senior debut in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup win over Villarreal, has gone on to make 150 appearances for the club. He is one of several players the Blues have made available this summer as they look to raise funds and give Alonso more room to operate in the market. Inter’s withdrawal leaves Chelsea with fewer options to sell the defender, though Roma – now managed by Gian Piero Gasperini – have also been linked. In his first press conference as Chelsea boss on Monday, Alonso confirmed that Chalobah is available for transfer amid the speculation. The setback comes as Chelsea continue to trim their squad. Marc Cucurella has joined Real Madrid, Tyrique George moved to Everton, and Andrey Santos completed a switch to Manchester United. Meanwhile, the club announced a pre-tax loss of €306.2m (£262.4m) for the year ending June 2025 – the largest ever recorded by a Premier League side – underlining the financial pressure to sell. In a separate but related saga, Inter chairman Giuseppe Marotta accused Marco Palestra of breaking an alleged agreement to join the San Siro club before the defender moved to Chelsea. Palestra’s agent, Alessandro Lucci, hit back, stating that Inter and Atalanta never reached a definitive deal during 45 days of talks. Chelsea signed Palestra from Atalanta on July 1 for a reported €55m (£47m).