Chelsea consider their young centre-back Levi Colwill as "the future of Chelsea" and that he is a "crucial part of their project", so "he's going nowhere", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea transfer news - Is Levi Colwill staying at Chelsea?

It has been a manic start to the summer transfer window this year, even by Chelsea's standards, as the side have seen nine first-team quality players leave already, with potentially more to follow.

Of those nine players, three have left for the increasingly ambitious Saudi Pro League, while another three have left for Premier League rivals, and the final three have departed for major clubs on the continent.

The Blues have used this influx of cash to strengthen the squad as well, with young striker Nicolas Jackson joining the club for slightly more than his £30.1m release clause from La Liga side Villarreal.

However, one of the many transfer sagas that seem to have gravitated towards the West London club this year concerns their incredibly sought-after centre-back, Colwill.

The 20-year-old spent last season on loan with Brighton & Hove Albion, where he thoroughly impressed manager Roberto De Zerbi, who said:

"I would like to work with him for another two, three, four years because it's difficult to find another left centre-back with his qualities."

It appears that the Seagulls took this request seriously when they made an official bid for the youngster worth an estimated £30m last month, which the Pensioners immediately rejected.

Shortly following that bid, Chelsea offered their young star a new contract, but nothing has been signed as of yet as Colwill wants to speak to Mauricio Pochettino about his place in the team before committing his future to the club.

The club have always maintained their position that the Southampton-born prospect is not for sale and are hoping that the talks with Pochettino will help convince the 20-year-old to remain in West London, per Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"The message also after the final in the following days is still the same, 'he's going nowhere, he's our player, he's crucial player, he's the future of Chelsea'. So Chelsea consider Levi Colwill not for sale and a crucial part of their project.

"So this is the position of Chelsea, it has always been the position of the club, and it's still the same, so let's see guys what's going to happen in these conversations between Colwill and Pochettino if the position of the player is going to change.

"But at the moment from Chelsea they are very clear, they trust Colwill and this conversation between manager and player is going to be very important to see the next steps of this story."

Levi Colwill's fantastic summer with England's Under-21s

If Colwill's stock wasn't already high enough at the end of the season, his exploits with England's Under-21 side have shot them up even higher.

The "Roll-Royce" of a centre-back, as described by scout Jacek Kuilg, was instrumental in the side winning their first European Championships for 39 years, playing five games, keeping a 91% pass accuracy and helping the team to keep a clean sheet throughout the entire tournament.

So good were his performances that he was selected among several other England players to feature in the Team of the Tournament.

If Chelsea can keep a hold of Colwill this summer, they could end up with a real world beater in the heart of their defence for years to come.