The movement away from Stamford Bridge in the next month could be just as important as any incomings to the club as Thomas Tuchel looks to trim his squad and raise the levels of competitiveness within his team.
With squad players that have little long-term future being taken on Chelsea's pre-season tour of America, Tuchel struggled to generate much cohesion from his side but since returning to England there has already been plenty of progress made by the club in granting him freedom to mould the squad.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is nearing a move to Napoli, Timo Werner is attracting serious interest from RB Leipzig, Ross Barkley and Michy Batshuayi are both on Frank Lampard's radar at Everton and progress with defensive targets has meant that the futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso could also be wrapped up soon.
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The Blues are making steps towards bringing in Marc Cucurella from Brighton and have also been given hints that a move for Wesley Fofana could bring about rewards in the coming weeks as well.
This has meant that Tuchel can not only make vague plans for how his defence might look come the end of the transfer window but also that he can ruthlessly cut players from his squad that were keeping a place more out of necessity than desire.
One of these players is Malang Sarr. The 23-year-old centre-back only made eight appearances in the league last season for Chelsea and filled in across the backline when injuries left Tuchel with little option. His form was erratic and he has largely been viewed as someone that could be sold this summer, except that football.london understands Tuchel has been a fan of the player and values his versatility.
That hasn't stopped Chelsea looking to cash in on him though as the club have now accepted a bid of around £10m from Monaco according to French publication, L'Equipe. Premier League rivals Fulham had been in talks with Chelsea over a move for the player but he always favoured a move back to France.
The Blues signed Sarr as a free agent in 2020 and any transfer fee would be making Chelsea profit, but his transfer away from the club could also hint at Tuchel's transfer plans. With Cucurella close to agreeing a deal with the Londoners, Sarr's departure could indicate that talks with Brighton are advanced and that Chelsea are extremely confident of getting the Spaniard over the line.
Alongside this is Emerson Palmieri. The Italian is also likely to leave SW6 this summer after Italian reports state that he will join Lazio for £7m. Emerson is one of Tuchel's current left-sided options though he has rarely been used as a centre-back, and once again his transfer away points towards Cucurella's imminent incoming.
Someone that might be taking added interest in Emerson and Sarr's future is Levi Colwill. Tuchel has so far been coy on the future of the 19-year-old who could also occupy the left-sided centre-back spot that both Cucurella and Sarr can play, though Cucurella is a more natural wide player, and therefore the double departure also increases his likelihood of getting game time next season, if he is still at the club.
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