Chelsea are expected to thin out their crowded squad at the end of the season.
Chelsea have reportedly decided to listen to offers for four players during the summer transfer window, with co-owner Todd Boehly set to sanction a squad clear-out following months of extensive recruitment. The Blues’ lucrative transfer business concluded on Tuesday night when they struck a British record agreement for Enzo Fernandez shortly before the January deadline.
Buoyed by Boehly and Clearlake’s relentless spending, Chelsea have splashed out more than £500million on 16 new transfers and two loan deals since the start of last summer. The Blues are currently 10th in the Premier League with serious ground to make up on Arsenal and Manchester City.
Manager Graham Potter is not expected to catch them this campaign, and it’s claimed that he will be given time to build a winning side even if they miss out on Champions League qualification. The signings of Fernandez and Mykhaylo Mudryk could help to turn things around, with the pair’s combined transfer fees coming in just shy of £200m.
They were far from the only high-profile stars to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the winter, with the likes of Benoit Badiashile already impacting the first XI.
So many new arrivals means that a summer clearout is inevitable, however, and The Guardian claim that Chelsea will be willing to listen to offers for Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic when the transfer window reopens.
Koulibaly was only signed last summer but Potter is well-stocked at the back, with new recruit Badiashile adding extra depth. Fellow centre-back Wesley Fofana’s injury woes mean that he will also feel like a new addition to the squad once he returns to fitness.
Aubameyang arrived just a few months ago to link up with former boss Thomas Tuchel, but the German was ruthlessly sacked days after the summer transfer window slammed shut. The 33-year-old has not gelled with Potter’s style of play and with only one Premier League goal this term, not to mention Armando Broja’s eventual return from injury and Christopher Nkunku’s pre-arranged arrival from RB Leipzig, it seems natural that his days at Stamford Bridge are numbered.
Kovacic has been a reliable figure in Chelsea’s midfield since signing from Real Madrid in 2018. However, an influx of recruits in the middle of the park are set to make life difficult and he could soon find himself well down the pecking order if the likes of Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka progress.
Pulisic flirted with a Blues exit last month but he is set to remain in west London until at least the end of the season. The United States international has struggled to nail down a starting spot during his four years at the club, while the arrivals of Mudryk and Noni Madueke will only make matters more difficult.
Although the Blues have supposedly placed the quartet in the shop window, they may not be the only players to leave in the summer. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Romelu Lukaku have both spent the season out on loan and it seems unlikely that either will be involved in Potter’s first-team plans upon their returns.
SOURCE: express.co.uk
