After Chelsea experienced their worst season since the establishment of the Premier League, American owner Todd Boehly has taken significant measures to bring about change at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues went through a revolving door of three managers last season, including Thomas Tuchel (now at Bayern Munich), Graham Potter, and interim manager and club legend Frank Lampard. Now, Mauricio Pochettino, who previously led London rivals Tottenham to a Champions League final, will take over the reins and attempt to restore stability to a club that won the Champions Leauge as recently as 2021.
This summer, the club has witnessed an astonishing number of departures already, with several key players leaving who played pivotal roles at Stamford Bridge over the past few seasons. Among those having exited are Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, and soon-to-be-departing academy graduate Mason Mount, with yet more set to follow.
These departures mark the beginning of a new era at Chelsea and may be the transformative change required for the club to regain its place in Europe.
Here are the latest transfer rumours regarding the Blues:
Christian Pulisic
The pacey American winger, who was purchased from Dortmund for £57.6m in 2019, appears to be on the move from Stamford Bridge after a disappointing past few seasons that saw him lose form. Chelsea seems ready to move on, and while many have been discussing his probable move to AC Milan in Serie A, Lyon of Ligue 1 has emerged as a strong contender for his services.
According to The Athletic, Lyon has recently made a second bid of £21.5m, reportedly including an enticing sell-on clause. In contrast, AC Milan’s initial offer was reported at a much lower £12m. It’s worth mentioning that Chelsea has a good relationship with Lyon after successfully completing the recruitment of Malo Gusto in January.
As a result, it is highly likely that Pulisic will soon leave Stamford Bridge, with a move to Lyon, a fellow American-owned club, being the most probable destination.
Cesar Azpilicueta
After an incredibly successful 11-year tenure at Stamford Bridge, Cesar Azpilicueta appears to be on the move from Chelsea. His time at the club was marked by outstanding achievements, including winning two Premier League titles and captaining the side to triumph in both the Champions League in 2021 and Europa League in 2019.
Azpilicueta was close to a move to Barcelona last summer but decided to stay at Chelsea to provide support due to the lack of depth in the squad’s defence.
Although Azpilicueta signed a two-year deal last summer, the club agreed to accommodate a move if he desired to leave Stamford Bridge. According to The Evening Standard, that moment has arrived as Azpilicueta has chosen to return to his home country and play for Atletico Madrid. The report claims the transfer to be either a nominal fee or a simple free transfer en route to Madrid.
Hakim Ziyech
Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech looked set to become the latest Chelsea player to make a summer move to Saudi Arabia after Chelsea had agreed a deal with Al-Nassr. Chelsea were set to recoup an £8m transfer fee with Ziyech, himself, set to earn £9m.
However, the deal now appears to have collapsed after the 30-year-old was unable to finalise terms on his three-year contract. According to The Daily Mail, there were also complications with a knee injury in the medical.
Ziyech also saw a January deadline-day move to Paris Saint-Germain scuppered after paperwork was submitted late. It remains unclear if he will remain with Chelsea by the end of the window with the winger having featured just 24 times last season and appearing surplus to requirements.
Mason Mount
One transfer that does appear to be nearing its completion is that of Mason Mount to Manchester United. According to The Athletic, the Red Devils have seen a bid worth £60m accepted after three bids up to £55m were rejected earlier in the week.
The 24-year-old has two years left on his current deal but had been unable to agree terms on an extension, with Chelsea, therefore, looking to sell the England midfielder this summer. He will sign a contract until 2028 at Old Trafford with the option for a further year once he completes his medical.
Moises Caicedo
With Kovacic, Kante and Mount departing, Chelsea will look to bring in some central midfield replacements. According to The Evening Standard, one such player that the Blues may target is Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian was a key player as Brighton finished sixth but has been the subject of much interest from the league’s biggest club. Brighton turned down a £70m bid by Arsenal in January and look set to demand £100m for their prized asset. Reports suggest that a £60m bid has already been rejected but the London club believe that a fee in the region of £80m could be agreed with Brighton.
Gabri Veiga
Another central midfielder that is on Chelsea’s shortlist is young Spaniard, Gabri Veiga. The Celta Vigo player has caught the interest of several Premier League clubs after an impressive season in LaLiga which saw the 21-year-old score 11 times in 36 games.
Veiga has a £34m release clause with a bid expected soon according to The Guardian, although the Blues may have to move fast with Newcastle another club set to be monitoring the young midfielder having already agreed a deal to sign Milan’s Sandro Tonali.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Chelsea have confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to AC Milan, where he has signed a four-year contract. The 27-year-old departs having spent 19 years with the club since joining their academy in 2004. He made 155 appearances for the Blues and earned Premier League, Europa League and Uefa Super Cup winner's medals during his time there.
Loftus-Cheek will cost Italian side AC Milan an initial £14m, with more in potential add-ons. The midfielder will join former Chelsea team-mate Fikayo Tomori at the San Siro. A Chelsea statement read: “We wish Ruben the very best as he begins this next chapter in his career.”
Marc Cucurella
The former Brighton left-back was one of Chelsea’s most expensive signings last year, having completed a £62m move from the south coast 12 months ago. The Spaniard endured a difficult first season at the club as he found himself asked to play a number of different positions in the Chelsea back line.
Reports in Spanish newspaper, Marca, had suggested that Chelsea were looking to offload the left-back, with Atletico Madrid offered the chance to buy the left-back. However, such claims have been refuted by Cucurella’s agent Alvaro Dominguez who claimed the reports were “fake news” on social media.
