Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End in hunt for Chelsea transfer agreement | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Preston North End are all interested in Chelsea's Alfie Gilchrist ahead of the summer transfer window.

That's according to a report from journalist Ben Jacobs, who says that the defender could be allowed to go out on loan to the Championship this summer.

Gilchrist has come through the youth ranks at Chelsea, and has found himself on the fringes of the first-team at Stamford Bridge for the first time this season.

In total, the 20-year-old has made 17 senior appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring once in a 6-0 thrashing of Everton back in April.

It now appears that Gilchrist's emergence into the Blues' first-team squad has caught the attention of second tier English outfits ahead of the summer transfer window.

Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Preston North End want Alfie Gilchrist

As per this latest update from Ben Jacobs, Gilchrist could be allowed to leave Chelsea to join a Championship club on loan for the 2024/25 season.

That appears to have caught the attention of a number of clubs at that level. It is thought that Blackburn, Leeds and Preston have all shown an interest in the defender.

However, things are currently said to be at an early stage, suggesting that no move for the Chelsea man is currently imminent.

Two other Championship clubs recently touted as potential suitors for Gilchrist are Millwall and Swansea.

This update though, states that no talks have been held with those two teams about a possible deal for the centre back.

As things stand, there are two years remaining on Gilchrist's contract with Chelsea, securing his future at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Leeds are preparing for another season in the Championship after their defeat to Southampton in Sunday's play-off final.

PNE meanwhile, finished in 10th position, 10 points adrift of the top six, while Blackburn needed a final day win at champions Leicester City to avoid relegation and secure 19th in the final standings.

Alfie Gilchrist could be a very good signing for Championship clubs

It does seem as though signing Gilchrist could be a very good piece of business for one of these teams to get done.

Blackburn may need central defensive reinforcements with it still yet to be confirmed if Kyle McFadzean will sign a new contract, and Scott Wharton set to be a long-term injury absentee.

Leeds meanwhile, may struggle to bring Tottenham loanee Joe Rodon back after missing out on promotion, while Liam Cooper is also out of contract this summer.

Elsewhere, Greg Cunningham is set to leave Preston this summer, with Patrick Bauer also facing an uncertain future at Deepdale.

As a result, all three of these teams could benefit from the extra depth they would get in defence with the addition of Gilchrist on loan.

The 20-year-old has also looked to be a consistently solid option when used by Chelsea this season.

That should make him a more than reliable player to call upon in the Championship, and with this level of interest, it will be a coup for any club that is able to sign him.

So with all that in mind, you get the feeling that it could make sense for all three of Blackburn, Leeds and Preston North End to try and get this done once the transfer window officially opens.