Chelsea, Huddersfield Town in ‘advanced talks’ over Izzy Brown — report

It’s no secret that Chelsea youngsters Kasey Palmer and Izzy Brown, who were key to Huddersfield Town’s promotion-winning campaign last season, would like to return to Huddersfield next season as well and collect their reward of playing for Town in the Premier League. However, Premier League rules dictate that only one player can be loaned from one Premier League club to another, meaning that if both were to return to Huddersfield next season then one would have to be on a permanent deal. While there have been no notable developments regarding a move for Palmer, reports linking Brown to a permanent move to the Terriers have emerged.

According to the above report from the Telegraph, the clubs are in “advanced talks” over a £8 million deal, following Town’s reported £10 million signing of another former loanee in Aaron Mooy from Manchester City. The move would certainly make a lot of sense for Brown, who essentially replaced the injury-struck Palmer in the second half of the season and was crucial during Huddersfield’s run-in at the end of the season — although the reported sum seems strangely low for a young player of his caliber. One would have to suspect that if the figure is indeed accurate, additional clauses such as sell-on, first refusal or buy-back are being incorporated as well.

An entirely conflicting report from the Huddersfield Examiner however, completely debunks the Telegraph.

The report from the Examiner suggests that while Brown is highly thought of at the club, who would welcome him back with open arms, it is unlikely that he would move there on anything other than another temporary loan deal. This makes sense, because Chelsea would surely demand a much greater amount than just £8 million for Brown and in terms of financial priorities, Mooy seems to be higher on Huddersfield’s list than either of the Chelsea loanees. It’s entirely possible that after finalising a deal for Mooy, the club would rather invest their transfer finances in a different way than to spend heavily once more on Brown, when they can loan him instead.

One thing is for sure, though. This won’t be the last time Huddersfield are linked with Brown (or Palmer for that matter) during this transfer window.