Chelsea now open to selling 2023 summer signing who Pochettino praised
Chelsea now open to selling 2023 summer signing who Pochettino praised
Chelsea are now open to selling a 2023 summer signing just under one year after he put pen to paper on a move to Stamford Bridge, as the west Londoners look to trim their bloated squad as well as acquire upgrades.
Players who could be sold by Chelsea this summer
Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, Conor Gallagher, Malang Sarr, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Ian Maatsen, Omari Hutchinson and Conor Gallagher have all been linked with the Chelsea exit door already, with Enzo Maresca looking to make room for key new additions.
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Gallagher is set to be the most headline-grabbing name of the aforementioned group, especially given his importance under Mauricio Pochettino last season. The 24-year-old, who was rewarded for his fine form with a place in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 England squad, became a Chelsea mainstay and supporters are keen not to see the boyhood supporter depart.
His contract expires next year, though, and with no extension in sight, Chelsea may have to make the ruthless business decision of finding a buyer for him this summer - or risk seeing him leave for nothing in 2025.
The likes of Lukaku, Broja, Maatsen, Sarr and Arrizabalaga appear out of favour at the club, so decisions on their futures will be much easier, but there are reports that Chelsea are open to offers for Chalobah despite the Englishman's re-emergence at the end of last season.
Pretty soon, a few of these players could join Thiago Silva in leaving Chelsea in the coming weeks, and it is believed that 2023 arrivals are not excluded from the chopping block. There have been suggestions that Chelsea want to attract bids for David Datro Fofana, who only joined last January from Molde.
Chelsea apparently don't need to sell players by June 30 of this year to avoid PSR sanctions, but they do need to sell in preparation for the June 30 deadline next year.
“We’re likely to see departures at Chelsea this summer, particularly with the players who are currently out on loan," said Fabrizio Romano to GiveMeSport.
“As previously reported, the plan is for Armando Broja to be sold once he comes back from his loan at Fulham, and Hakim Ziyech can already be considered to have played his last game for Chelsea.
“I also expect Romelu Lukaku and Ian Maatsen to leave Chelsea, but for the others, we have to wait and see what happens.”
Chelsea open to selling Lesley Ugochukwu
Now, alongside the likes of Fofana, it is believed midfielder Lesley Ugochuwku is being nominated for the transfer list.
The 20-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Rennes last summer and signed a seven-year contract, made 12 Premier League appearances last term. The Blues could send him out on a temporary deal to accumulate more game time, but journalist Simon Phillips also claims Chelsea are open to completely selling Ugochukwu for the right offer.
Less than 12 months into his long-term deal, it would be an unceremonious end for the Frenchman, especially after praise from Chelsea chiefs last year. Pochettino called Ugochukwu a "talented" player, while co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley called him "impressive" (via The Metro).