Ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says he would love to see Levi Colwill playing for his former club.

The 20-year-old had an outstanding loan spell at Brighton last season but he has now returned to his parent side Chelsea, and Ferdinand can’t see the Blues letting go of such a talented young player:

“If I could get him, my dream one would be [Levi] Colwill. But I think Chelsea are going to keep him. I think they’ve seen how good he is now.”

Colwill has certainly impressed plenty of observers with his performances, and he was even named in the England squad by manager Gareth Southgate for the most recent round of international fixtures.

He is a modern-day centre-back, who is very comfortable on the ball, and it is not hard to see why Ferdinand likes him so much.

Colwill is attracting bids but a transfer away from Chelsea is unlikely

Brighton have already tabled a £30m offer for Colwill, and they are expected to submit another proposal worth £40m in the coming days. Liverpool and Manchester City have also been mentioned as potential suitors in recent months.

However, Chelsea are expected to keep him, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino keen to make the defender a key part of his first-team plans.

Colwill will want guarantees on his game time, though, having just spent a year as a regular starter at Brighton so, if he doesn’t start next season as first-choice, speculation could grow once again.

United are expected to sign a centre-half this summer.

The likely departure of captain Harry Maguire is set to lead to the Red Devils going into the market for a replacement.

Kim Min-Jae has been widely reported as the number one option. However, Bayern Munich have now emerged as favourites for the South Korean international’s signature. Alternatives are being looked at, including Monaco’s Axel Disasi, Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo and Juventus’s Gleison Bremer.