5 players who could leave Chelsea this transfer window after £140m January spree

18 January 2023 , 13:00

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Chelsea have gone big, yet again, in the transfer market.

They've backed up their summer spree, which exceeded the £200m mark, by parting with well over £100m in January as Todd Boehly's project continues. The American has funded a recruitment drive that echoes that of Roman Abramovich's early days in west London.

Nowadays though, with financial fair play in place, clubs have to be slightly smarter about their ins and outs. They beat London rivals Arsenal to the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk, who cost just shy of £90m. Highly-rated Monaco centre-half Benoît Badiashile has been signed for more than £30m whilst the Blues have also paid a loan fee to take on Joao Felix for the remainder of the campaign.

Graham Potter's side are struggling for form. Their star-studded squad, albeit hit by plenty of injuries, has not yet clicked into gear as the former Brighton boss seeks a winning formula. He's looking to put his stamp on the squad, which could mean several players face the axe.

This is Potter's first chance to trim, as well as add to, his squad in west London. Some fringe players could be moved on as a result and we take a look at who could be finding pastures new.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The forward has been something of a nomad over the past 12 months. He left Arsenal for Barcelona, but only spent a matter of months in Spain before moving back to London. Aubameyang has previously been prolific in the Premier League, but has struggled to recapture that form.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has struggled for goals at Chelsea (Offside via Getty Images)

He has scored just once in the league and has hardly fixed Chelsea's problems in the final third, hence why they went and got Felix. Now into his 30s, Aubameyang wouldn't command a huge fee, but may be seen as surplus at Stamford Bridge.

Hakim Ziyech

Another player who could fall foul of Chelsea's mounting forward options. The Moroccan has been unable to nail down a first-team spot since moving to the Blues, despite his obvious talent. He appears to be someway down the pecking order and the arrival of Mudryk will only deepen his problems.

There has been previous interest from clubs in Serie A and, if Ziyech has ambitions on becoming a regular, he may opt to leave with the club also capable of receiving a sizeable fee.

The Italian's contract is up in the summer

Jorginho

It could be a case of cutting your losses when it comes to the Italian, who is still very much an established member of the starting XI. Jorginho has rebuilt his reputation at Chelsea after a difficult start, but his contract will expire in the summer.

There is talk of him heading back to Italy as talks draw on and the player's agent himself has talked up a potential return to Napoli. He said last month: “Napoli represented our home in Italy, [Napoli sporting director Cristiano] Giuntoli greatly appreciates the boy, for us it is a special club. If there was a new interest, we would be happy, but at the moment Napoli have not had contact with us.”

Raheem Sterling

This would certainly come as a surprise but reports have swirled suggesting the west Londoners would be open to Sterling's exit, just months after acquiring him from Manchester City. The England star, whose output has decreased in recent years, has scored just six times this term.

Raheem Sterling has struggled to hit the heights he did at Man City (Getty Images)

He's adapting to a new style having previously revelled in Pep Guardiola's system. Sterling penned a contract at Chelsea until 2027 but the arrival of Mudryk will see competition for places further ramp up.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

This could very much depend on the future of Jorginho but Potter is certainly spoilt for choice in the middle of the park. They've been linked with World Cup star Enzo Fernandez and already have the likes of Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher on their books.

Loftus-Cheek has been sent out on loan on numerous occasions in the past and both parties could yet consider a permanent exit if the money and the opportunity was right, even if the 26-year-old has made 14 league appearances so far this season.