New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has just one week to sell four wantaway stars in order to avoid a potentially awkward start to his time in charge.
The Blues are set to begin their pre-season training next Wednesday and they have already been incredibly active in the transfer market. Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kai Havertz and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all completed permanent moves away from Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, meanwhile, have both made big money moves from Villareal and RB Leipzig respectively to strengthen their attacking options. However, there business will not end there with Mason Mount set to officially join Manchester United after confirming he has left Chelsea in an emotional farewell message to fans on his Instagram account.
Four other players are also hoping to leave Stamford Bridge this summer and the Telegraph report that Pochettino only 'wants to work with players who want to be at the club', meaning there is just a week left for them to leave before pre-season starts.
Striker Romelu Lukaku is keen on a return to Inter Milan, having spent the past season there on loan, but the Serie A side have yet to reach an agreement with Chelsea over a permanent switch. He has had lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, but the report states that Lukaku is hoping Inter and Chelsea can thrash out a deal 'over the next week'.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also attracted interest from Saudi Arabia, with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard keen to bring him to Al Ettifaq where he has just been appointed manager. Hakim Ziyech, meanwhile, was close to joining Saudi side Al-Nassr but that move has now stalled.
However, it is claimed that there 'remains Saudi interest' in the Moroccan. Christian Pulisic is another said to be keen on leaving Chelsea, with AC Milan and Lyon among the clubs interested in his services.
The report states that they have both made approaches, but Pulisic favours a move to Milan who are yet to agree terms with Chelsea. Pochettino was appointed manager back in May, but only officially started work this week and the former Tottenham boss has vowed to bring silverware back to Stamford Bridge.
“The history of Chelsea is to win but it’s important also the way we bring those victories,” he said. “It’s a culture of winning. The last 10, 12, 15 years, Chelsea has been the greatest team in England. That we know very well. I know very well the Premier League and the culture of Chelsea.
“The fans are excited to be back on the road of trying to win. For us it’s exciting to work with a very young team. It’s a different approach to the past, of course, but we all need to understand that we need to work very hard, in a very good atmosphere on the training ground, to build the success for the team in the next few years.”
