Chelsea facing fight to keep in-demand defender after £40m transfer

Chelsea are said to be fending off wholesale competition for defender Axel Disasi.

Disasi, 26, has struggled to find a place in the starting XI under new manager Enzo Maresca and has so far started just one Premier League game this season. The France star joined from Monaco just over a year ago for £38.5million but now finds himself at the bottom of the defensive pecking order.

Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo are due to continue their partnership at the heart of 's defence against Liverpool this afternoon, with Disasi on the bench alongside following former Monaco man, Benoit Badiashile.

According to The Mirror, Disasi was wanted by clubs in France, Italy and Germany in the summer, with a move failing to come to fruition. Manchester United also showed interest in the defender but instead opted to sign fellow countryman Leny Yoro from Lille.

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“The relationship with the coach is good and every player knows what they have to do," Disasi said when asked of Maresca's methods earlier this summer. "The tactics are clear and we have had good results so everything is going well. The way we play shows the quality of all the players because the idea is to put the player in the best position to perform and to be good. So we have done this during the last few games and I hope that we will continue like this.”

Whilst his future remains uncertain, fellow Chelsea stars such as Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have been forced to suffer the same fate, frozen out by Maresca's tough love at Stamford Bridge since taking over.