Chilwell offers fitness update after taking ‘easy’ decision to seal £50m Chelsea switch

Ben Chilwell claims the heel problem which had cast doubts over his £50 million ($66m) move to Chelsea is “healing well”, with an “easy decision” made to link up with the Blues.

A big-money transfer for the England international had been in the pipeline for some time.

In a summer of heavy investment from those at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard quickly identified the acquisition of a new left-back as a top priority.

Chilwell was an obvious target, as a player with Premier League experience and the potential for future improvement at 23 years of age.

Doing a deal was not easy, though, as Leicester were understandably reluctant to part with a prized asset, while a niggling knock suggested that medical issues may arise.

All hurdles have been cleared, though, and Chilwell expects to hit the ground running in new surroundings.

He told Chelsea’s official website of the foot complaint that has been holding him back and prevented him from figuring in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad: “I’m feeling really good.

“The injury is healing really well and I’ve been doing a lot of fitness work over the past four or five weeks.”

Chilwell is eager to make his mark at Chelsea as quickly as possible, with the highly-rated defender happy to have secured a step up the ladder that will allow him to further his career.

A man who broke through Leicester’s academy system to become a senior star, added: “I tried not to listen to the speculation, I was just focused on giving my all for Leicester while I was there.

“Testing myself at the next level is something I’ve wanted but while I was a Leicester player, my focus was solely there.

“Obviously it’s a tough decision for me in the sense that I’m leaving behind a lot of good friends and it’s felt like home to me, as I’ve been there since I was 11 or 12.

“So in that respect it was difficult but for my career, it wasn’t a tough decision because you just have to look at what a great club Chelsea is. That made it a pretty straightforward and easy decision for me.

“I remember coming here [to Chelsea] and playing in youth games and seeing what a huge club this is, even at that age.

“It was also a daunting thing, to come and play against Chelsea, so to be part of such an elite club is really exciting for me and I can’t wait to get started.”