The 19-year-old signed a new deal last year after a breakout campaign, but limited minutes during Arsenal's Premier League title-winning season have fuelled belief that the champions could be open to letting the Hale End product leave.
There has been fresh contact with both the Blues and Manchester United, among other Premier League clubs assessing whether to move for the versatile player. His path to regular football looks set to narrow further after Bruno Guimarães completed a £75 million move from Newcastle last week.
Chelsea are understood to have held a long-standing interest in Lewis-Skelly, though it remains unclear whether they will formalise an offer. The academy product started just 19 matches in all competitions last season, with Mikel Arteta handing him a role in central midfield toward the end of the campaign that culminated in a start in the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
With Guimarães now expected to leapfrog Lewis-Skelly in the midfield pecking order, and opportunities already scarce at left-back, there is a growing sense inside the club that a departure could be sanctioned this summer. Guimarães has signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, with the option of a further year, adding significant talent and depth to a midfield that already includes Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino.
A move to Chelsea would put Lewis-Skelly into direct competition with a crowded group that includes Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández — who has himself been linked with an exit — Romeo Lavia, Dário Essugo, Valentín Barco and Jordan Henderson.
Chelsea had previously targeted Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka, who worked under new head coach Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, but were unable to prise the 33-year-old away from the Stadium of Light. The club have already made a series of statements in the market this summer, with Maxence Lacroix arriving from Crystal Palace and Morgan Rogers joining for £117 million from Aston Villa.
Lewis-Skelly has made 75 senior appearances for Arsenal and won a Premier League winner's medal last season. He began his career at left-back, making his name during Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final win over Real Madrid in 2025, before shifting back to his preferred central midfield role.
The teenager has started every Arsenal pre-season fixture so far, of which the club have lost two, but is expected to be moved into a squad role once Rice and Guimarães are back in full training.