According to a report by The Athletic, Chelsea could be set to offload up to 12 players in the summer transfer window. The report suggests that Ben Chilwell could lead the mass clearout from Stamford Bridge, with Manchester City showing genuine interest in the left-back. City manager Pep Guardiola is in need of a left-back after Joao Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on loan with an option to buy in January. Guardiola also kept tabs on the England international back in 2020 before he joined Chelsea for £50million from Leicester.
However, Chilwell is not the only player who could be leaving Chelsea this summer. The report suggests that the club may have to offload a number of other players and could raise as much as £264m. This is because the West Londoners have spent a whopping £600m since new owner Todd Boehly took over from Roman Abramovich eight months ago and are looking to make even more additions. But room will have to be made with Graham Potter’s side already having sealed the signing of RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku for next season.
Mason Mount could follow Chilwell as he has yet to agree on a new deal, while his current contract runs out next year. Manchester United, Liverpool and City are all keen on the England man. The same goes for Mateo Kovacic, whose contract is also running out next year. Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have fallen out of favour and could also be on their way out.
Cesar Azpilicueta has reached the advanced age of 33 years old and almost left for Barcelona in the summer. Conor Gallagher almost left in January and the same goes for Hakim Ziyech, who missed out on a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain after a bureaucracy gaffe. Armando Broja had been struggling for opportunities before his injury. Kai Havertz has been a focal point for Chelsea but has only managed six goals in 25 Premier League appearances this season and fans are growing increasingly frustrated. And Raheem Sterling has struggled to impress since his arrival last summer, although his agent has said he wants to stay.
It is unlikely that all 12 of those players will leave in the summer, but space might need to open up after a busy January transfer window. The report suggests that Chelsea could raise as much as £264m from player sales, which would give them plenty of funds to make further additions to their squad.
Overall, it seems that Chelsea are looking to make some significant changes to their squad this summer. While some players may leave due to lack of playing time or contract issues, others may be sold to raise funds for new signings. It remains to be seen which players will leave and who will stay, but it is clear that Chelsea are looking to make some big moves in the transfer market.