Chelsea will have to be at their best when it comes to transfer negotiations in 2023 as a major pile of business mounts in front of the new owners. Graham Potter and his new recruitment team are ready for a continuation of the squad overhaul that started in the summer and are expected to be very active in the new year.
The Blues have contract issues and squad holes to patch up first before attention turns to strengthening and moving on underperforming players. But one thing they may not have planned for was the return of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian is currently on loan at Inter Milan but is still owned by Chelsea and has a complex situation to sort out.
Having been signed last summer for a club record £97.5million he failed to live up to expectations and contributed to an ever more fractured changing room. His infamous interview all but ended his career at the club, but trying to sell on a major asset after scoring just 15 goals in all competitions isn't easy.
