Chelsea's short-term future was thrown into disarray on Thursday morning following the UK government's decision to place owner Roman Abramovich under strict sanctions, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The club will no longer be allowed to sell tickets or merchandise, offer new contracts to players or staff, sign new players, sell players or spend more than £20,000 on getting to and from fixtures. It has also placed Abramovich's sale of the club in doubt.
But with the sanctions, which are currently in place until May 31, Chelsea could be unable to offer new contracts to three of their star defenders, depending on what happens beyond the aforementioned date. The deals of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are all up in the summer.
READ MORE: Roman Abramovich blocked from selling Chelsea FC as Government sanctions leave club in limbo
Winger Charly Musonda's contract also expires on June 30. Therefore, the Blues could be resigned to losing four players, three of whom are integral in head coach Thomas Tuchel's plans, without getting the chance to tie them down to new contracts.
Rudiger, who joined Chelsea from Roma in 2017, has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months and the prospect of him being available for nothing this summer could tempt United. They are likely to be on the hunt for a new centre-back and the Germany international is hugely experienced.
Azpilicueta is a long-standing servant at Stamford Bridge. United are also likely to pursue the signature of a new right-back this summer, so he could be available to them if they wished to make a move.
However, with the Spaniard turning 33 this year, it is likely that United will pursue a younger player. Christensen, meanwhile, like Rudiger, has been revitalised under Tuchel and will also be available should the sanctions not be lifted before his current deal expires on June 30.
United, however, are likely to face stern competition for the Danish international, as Barcelona have already been making inroads to try and secure his signature. Christensen could be a realistic option for United if they wished to explore the possibility of signing him to strengthen their defence.
As outlined above, the futures of Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen and Musonda all rest on what happens on May 31. If the sanctions are lifted on that date, or the club finds itself under new ownership, Chelsea should be allowed to enter contract discussions. However, it is currently impossible to predict what might happen over the coming weeks.
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