Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to offload some of his fringe players at Chelsea in the coming days, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku both being told to stay away from pre-season training until next week.
The west London club have already seen a mass exodus of players this summer, netting around £200million in the process, and are now looking to trim their squad even further.
Chelsea are currently locked in talks with Inter Milan over a fee for Lukaku, with the Serie A side’s opening offer of £23million rejected. The Belgian had originally been scheduled to return to Cobham for pre-season training this week, but he was told he could now wait until next Monday as negotiations continue.
Aubameyang, who was signed by axed boss Thomas Tuchel a year ago, is also being given the same treatment and is not part of Pochettino’s plans. The former Arsenal star has been told he is not required back before next Monday either, with Chelsea hoping to sell him to Saudi Arabia.
Hakim Ziyech is also being targeted by the Saudi league but his move to Al-Nassr fell through after they drastically reduced their salary proposal after identifying a knee problem in his medical. Chelsea still hope that deal can be revived, though it is unclear at this stage whether or not Ziyech – like Lukaku and Aubameyang – has been told to stay away from training.
Should none of the transfers be completed before next Monday’s rescheduled return date, there are suggestions the players could be asked to train away from Pochettino’s main first-team group. The squad are due to fly out to the United States for their pre-season tour on Monday, and those fringe players on the verge of moves away could be instructed to remain at Cobham until the transfers have gone through.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is already believed to be training away from the main group of Chelsea players, having decided that he wants to leave the club permanently.
With Mauricio Pochettino keen to offload some of his fringe players, it will be interesting to see which ones make the cut and who ends up staying at Chelsea for the upcoming season. It remains to be seen whether or not the likes of Lukaku, Aubameyang and Ziyech will be able to secure moves away from the club before next Monday’s rescheduled return date.
Regardless of what happens, it looks like Chelsea are set for an exciting summer of transfer activity as they look to build a squad capable of challenging for major honours in the coming seasons.
Title: Chelsea Tell Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Not To Report To Pre-Season Training Until Next Week
Introduction
Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to offload some of his fringe players at Chelsea in the coming days, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romelu Lukaku both being told to stay away from pre-season training until next week. The west London club have already seen a mass exodus of players this summer, netting around £200million in the process, and are now looking to trim their squad even further.
Chelsea’s Mass Exodus
Chelsea have already overseen a mass exodus of players this summer, netting around £200million in the process. This includes deals for Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy.
Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea are currently locked in talks with Inter Milan over a fee for Lukaku, with the Serie A side’s opening offer of £23million rejected. The Belgian had originally been scheduled to return to Cobham for pre-season training this week, but he was told he could now wait until next Monday as negotiations continue.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang, who was signed by axed boss Thomas Tuchel a year ago, is also being given the same treatment and is not part of Pochettino’s plans. The former Arsenal star has been told he is not required back before next Monday either, with Chelsea hoping to sell him to Saudi Arabia.
Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech is also being targeted by the Saudi league but his move to Al-Nassr fell through after they drastically reduced their salary proposal after identifying a knee problem in his medical. Chelsea still hope that deal can be revived, though it is unclear at this stage whether or not Ziyech – like Lukaku and Aubameyang – has been told to stay away from training.
Training Away From Main Group
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