Chelsea are still finding their feet in the transfer market with Todd Boehly at the helm. While most of the attention is around incoming transfers, work is also to be done in the opposite direction. The Blues have made some impressive signings for the women's side and earlier this week added Eddie Beach to their academy ranks.
The first piece of business involved in Thomas Tuchel's squad seems likely to be the return of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. However, with a transfer for Jules Kounde yet to be complete and the Blues looking to make progress in deals for the likes of Raheem Sterling and Matthijs de Ligt. There is a great deal of work for Boehly to complete having become Chelsea's interim sporting director.
Marcos Alonso is a figure who has consistently been linked with a transfer to Barcelona throughout the summer, and the latest reports suggest that £11 million could be enough to prise him away from Stamford Bridge. While most would be happy to let the 31-year-old depart with a year remaining on his deal, he played a crucial role for Chelsea in the absence of Ben Chilwell and accounted for four goals and five assists in 28 Premier League appearances in 2021/22.
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Tuchel may find an option to replace the Spaniard among his squad in the early stages of the summer, ripe for his consideration. Ian Maatsen enjoyed an impressive loan at Coventry City in the Championship, playing the left wing-back role. The Dutch under-21 international has drawn interest from the likes of Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund already this summer as he reaches what appears to be a pivotal moment in his career.
Fankaty Dabo, a teammate of Maatsen's at Coventry City last season and Cobham product himself, noted that Maatsen would intend to break through with the Blues but served a crucial warning to Tuchel and Chelsea's staff.
Speaking to Alex Goldberg on his The Byline podcast, he said: "Whenever we've spoken, it's always been he wants to play for Chelsea. But in the back of your mind, still to this day, it's not like Chelsea are an academy club. We've got a few through now, and there haven't been many since. He hopes to, but if he doesn't, there are God knows how many top, top clubs that will take him."
Maatsen has a contract with Chelsea until 2024, so there is no drastic pressure to sell, though that situation could quickly change in 12 months. Reports suggest that an agreement may have already been reached between Maatsen and Feyenoord, however, meaning the Blues may quickly have to make their judgement if Maatsen can step up to the first team and whether they plan to sell Alonso.
Tuchel's assessment of Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja's futures before the end of last season seemed to suggest that Chelsea's loan stars would have an opportunity to the German in pre-season. Whether the club's and player's ambitions align will be key.
He said: "When we send them on loan, we do this for them but also for us to have better players, more experienced players back. They are our players, and I want to have them in pre-season, and then we decide what's going on.
"It's heavily linked to them, to how they integrate and what they do and what our ideas are for them and what they want to reach."
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