Chelsea could look to offload up to eleven players as the club aims to cut down the squad following a host of new arrivals in the last two transfer windows.
Since Todd Boehly took over the west London club last year, there has been £566million spent on new players, with eight new faces arriving in the January transfer window.
This has left boss Graham Potter with a bloated first-team squad, but according to The Athletic, the Blues are set to say goodbye to a slew of players at the end of the season in a bid to slim down the playing staff at the club.
The clear out could begin with the six players who are out of contract at the end of the campaign, with no sign of any fresh deals on the table.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, who’s spent the last four seasons on-loan around Europe is expected to leave the club, along with back-up goalies Marcus Bettinelli and Nathan Baxter, as well as Welsh international Ethan Ampadu – currently on loan at Italian side Spezia.
Graham Potter’s squad could get a major summer overhaul with eleven players primed to leave
Any player with a year left on their deal and no renewal in sight could be sold by Chelsea
Chelsea could also lose N’Golo Kante on a free transfer in the summer, although the club are reported close to agreeing a new deal with the Frenchman as he’s now returned from a long-term injury.
As well as the players out of contract, the Blues are set to listen to offers for players who have just a year left on their current deal.
If there are doubts over any extension of their deals then the club will to their best to get moves from the club.
Those in danger of being put up for sale include Mateo Kovacic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.
With only Thiago Silva as exception, who only recently signed a new 12-month contract with the Blues.
N’Golo Kate is one of six Chelsea players who are out of contract at the end of the season
Aubemeyang’s departure is not surprising, after being left out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad and almost moving to the MLS in January.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been linked with a move back to Spain after a decade at Stamford Bring. While Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be casualties of Chelsea’s reshaped squad.
Mason Mount’s future also remains unclear, with talks between the academy product and club hierarchy in a stand-off as negotiations over contract demands rolls on.
Potter has stated that the negotiations are complicated between the player and the club, but that he’s keen to keep the England midfielder at the club amid interest from Liverpool and Newcastle.
source: dailymail.co.uk
