12 March 2024 , 20:57
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Chelsea co-controlling owner Todd Boehly recently held meetings in Saudi Arabia, fuelling speculation that the club will attempt to offload players to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
The Blues have spent over £1billion on transfers alone since Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the Londoners back in May 2022. The American and his partners have failed to secure a return on that investment, though, with Chelsea currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.
It's been widely reported that Chelsea will be proactive in their attempts to trim their squad - and that could lead to more business being done with clubs from Saudi Arabia.
A new report from The Telegraph has outlined that Boehly recently travelled to the Gulf State and met with Michael Emanalo, the Saudi Pro League's director of football. It's believed Boehly is planning to try and raise funds by dealing with clubs from the Middle East in the summer.
Chelsea announced pre-tax losses of more than £90million last week and the report goes on to highlight that some of the club's rivals believe they need to raise £100m in sales by the end of June, although the Blues disagree.
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Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga are two of the players touted for a summer move. Both are currently on loan at AS Roma and Real Madrid respectively and would likely garner interest from Saudi Arabia should they be made available for transfer.
Intriguingly, Boehly is not the first high-profile figure from a Premier League club to travel to Saudi Arabia in recent months. It was outlined back in December that Manchester United football director John Murtough made a similar trip in a bid to drum up interest in some of the club's players.
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Manchester United football director John Murtough, pictured with Erik ten Hag, made a similar trip late last year (Kevork Djansezian/Manchester United via Getty Images)It was claimed by The Mail that Murtough was attempting to find buyers for some of United's highest earners, including Casemiro, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. It was said at the time that Murtough had established relationships with Saudi chiefs which could pave the way for future deals to be made.
Like Chelsea, United are expected to try and move several players on in the summer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club's new part-owner, will drive that strategy alongside his Ineos team after taking control of sporting operations at Old Trafford.
A host of blockbuster names, including several established Premier League players, moved to the Saudi Pro League last summer with more expected to follow this year.
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