Chelsea face the prospect of missing out on European competition altogether next season after being dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday.
A 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid on aggregate in the quarter-final of the tie means the Blues will almost certainly not be competing in Europe's premier competition in 2023/24. With only seven games to go in the Premier League, Chelsea are a whopping 14 points from fifth place.
As well as losing the prestige of competing in the Champions League or even the Europa League, the Blues will be hit with a massive drop in income by losing access to broadcast money from participating in European football. And that is set to inform decisions Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital make come the summer.
It is being reported in The Telegraph that some Chelsea players who were bought in the £600m spree by the club's new owners, along with those who signed new contracts recently, agreed deals that had Champions League clauses in them. Should the Blues fail to qualify for the Champions League, then their pay will be reduced.
That does not apply to players bought during Roman Abramovich's ownership of the club, though, according to The Telegraph. Christian Pulisic is one such player bought during the Abramovich era and a likely candidate for an exit this summer because of poor form and the fact his contract will enter its final year of the season. Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech are also name-checked in The Telegraph as players who could remain on their current wage.
So, if Pulisic was to sign a new deal it is expected he would have to agree to similar terms regarding Champions League qualification. The USMNT star is a target for Newcastle United and La Liga side Atletico Madrid and is expected to depart Stamford Bridge this summer.
His contract situation may well be taken into account by Chelsea's owners, particularly after exiting the Champions League with their most likely route into the competition next season blocked.
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