16 August 2023 , 08:37
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Chelsea are ready to usher six men out the exit door as they look to balance their books following more summer spending.
The Blues have already landed Moises Caicedo in a British record transfer whilst Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise are set to join for a combined £90m. It furthers their need to trim their squad and move players on with six individuals deemed surplus to requirements.
Conor Gallagher, who started in Sunday's draw with Liverpool, is among those who the club are willing to let go, as per the Evening Standard. The midfielder has attracted attention from several of Chelsea's London rivals but the player is keen to stay and fight for his spot.
Other players have long been expected to depart. Hakim Ziyech, a signing during the Frank Lampard era, has never been able to establish himself despite arriving with a big reputation from Ajax. Callum Hudson-Odoi is another winger who hasn't develop as expected.
He was once the subject of huge bids from Bayern Munich, all of which were rejected when his stock was on the rise. Now though, after loan spells away, Chelsea are prepared to let their academy graduate seek pastures new with too many men ahead of him in the pecking order.
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Romelu Lukaku was signed for a club-record fee two summers ago and seen as the man who could fire Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea to the title. He has massively underperformed however and the Blues will have to accept a massive loss on his mammoth transfer fee.
Finding a buyer has been challenging however with the Belgian no longer on Inter Milan's radar whilst a move to Juventus is also in doubt. Pochettino has spoken publicly about the expectation that Lukaku will move on this summer as he trains away from the first-team squad.
Ian Maatsen was introduced from the subs bench on Sunday but is another player who Chelsea are open to selling. Trevoh Chalobah, who has shown glimpses of quality, could also be moved on with the Blues over stocked when it comes to their centre-half options.