Chelsea make Josh Acheampong transfer decision amid his struggles for minutes
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Chelsea are not interested in selling their young defender Josh Acheampong, despite his limited minutes on the pitch this season, according to reports.
Since January 2026, Acheampong has only made 12 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea.
Many of these were brief cameos, and only five of them were at least 45-minute appearances.
As a versatile defender, some of his involvement came at right-back rather than centre-back.
According to the Standard Sport, the 19-year-old's limited game time has alerted other clubs to his potential availability in the summer.
The list reportedly includes Crystal Palace, who made an attempt to sign Acheampong in January in search of a replacement for the Manchester City-bound Marc Guehi.
Crystal Palace are said to remain interested in the Chelsea academy graduate despite their previous failed attempt.
However, the report claims that Chelsea have not changed their stance on Acheampong and do not consider selling the centre-back in the summer.
The England Under-21 star signed a new contract with Chelsea in December 2024 and is tied to the club until 2029.
While this puts him among the eight Chelsea players whose contracts end before 2030, the club should still be in a strong negotiating position.
The question is whether keeping Acheampong at Chelsea, given his limited minutes, harms his development as a player.
An earlier report suggested that Chelsea would be in the market for a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, and this could further limit his chances next season.
Additionally, Levi Colwill is closer to a return from a long-term cruciate ligament injury and is expected to regain his spot as a regular starter.
That said, a versatile defender, especially an academy product who could easily slot into List B in the Champions League, is always a valuable asset to the squad.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.