Chelsea to offload players to fund summer rebuild

Despite the season still ongoing, as we approach the summer months, transfer talk is beginning to heat up.

Chelsea is looking to sell several players in an attempt to fund a summer rebuild. However, the Blues are going to reject any attempted purchase of N’Golo Kante or Jorginho, in all likelihood.

While the ongoing pandemic has affected the finances of sports teams around the world, Chelsea’s transfer plans seem to be unaltered. The Blues are looking to be active in the upcoming summer transfer window. With the 2020-2021 season quickly approaching, which players could be on their way out?

Ross Barkley

Despite a resurgence in form prior to the stoppage of games, Ross Barkley remains a surplus to requirements for Chelsea. With the sales of Kante and Jorginho to be resisted, Chelsea already have a strong midfield which includes Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Billy Gilmour and Mateo Kovacic. This list does not even include Chelsea loanees Conor Gallagher, Timeoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater and even Ethan Ampadu.

One might argue that Barkley is still Chelsea’s best No. 10. However, with Hakim Ziyech more than capable of occupying that role if called upon, it is unlikely Barkley’s services will be required much longer. Having signed the midfielder on a five-year contract in 2018 for a mere £15 million, Chelsea will look to make a profit on the 26-year-old. A talented player, a Premier League veteran and an England international who fulfils the homegrown requirements, Barkley will attract the interest of several English top flight clubs

Michy Batshuayi

Frank Lampard’s reluctance to play Batshuayi in the games prior to the COVID-19 outbreak is an indication that his time at Chelsea is running out. With one-year left on the 26-year-old Belgian striker’s contract, he could prove to be a bargain signing for some clubs.

After a loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2019, Roy Hodgson said they were interested in signing Batshuayi on a permanent transfer. However, this move did not materialize because Chelsea still required his services as the club prepared to serve its transfer ban. With the Blues having served their ban, they are now looking to offload the striker. Palace could be interested once again.

The same can also be said of Borussia Dortmund, where Batshauyi had a successful loan spell in 2018. There, he scored seven goals in 10 matches. The Bundesliga side could look to sign him as a back-up to wonderkid Erling Haaland.

Marcos Alonso & Emerson Palmieri

These two left backs are just not good enough to be a part of the current Chelsea team. Neither Emerson nor Marcos Alonso has proven they are good enough to start for Chelsea going forward. Realistically, Chelsea will only look to sell one of the two and keep the other as a back-up option for whoever they bring in this summer. However, given their ages and remaining length on both contracts, it would be a smart move to cash in on them both. For depth, the Blues could promote Ian Maatsen to the first team.

Emerson, 25, has had promising spells in the team followed by poor performances that have left him on the outs since the turn of the new year. Given his age, he could still be a useful back-up option to Chelsea, but not useful enough to ignore a good offer.

Marcos Alonso is a great wing-back who gives Chelsea the option of playing a back three at any given time. However, at 29 years old and highly paid, Chelsea should look to sell Alonso while they can still get fair value for him. Alonso and Emerson are both being monitored by Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan and Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus. It is only fitting that Chelsea’s two former managers come swooping in to purchase players who no longer add value to the club.

Antonio Rudiger

Probably the most controversial of all, Antonio Rudiger should be the centreback sold in the summer. Chelsea’s defensive issues this season have been a constant source of annoyance for fans. When Rudiger’s return from injury did not appear to fix any problems, it became clear Chelsea needed to buy a quality centreback in the summer. In order to do so, the Blues must sell one of their current central defenders.

Picking a defender to sell is the hardest decision the Chelsea management will have to make this summer. Everyone you ask will tell you a different name and will cite different reasons why one should stay over the other. Rudiger has been picked in this instance as he is likely to generate the most money for Chelsea to use in signing a high quality replacement.

Like the other Chelsea defenders, Rudiger has had some good games as well as some forgettable ones. This level of inconsistency from a player in his prime is an indication that he does not have the potential to be much better than he already is—a characteristic Chelsea’s other centrebacks possess. The 27-year-old’s contract expires in two years, and if Chelsea were ever looking to cash in on him, now would be the time to do so.

Rudiger may not be the one to depart. However, one of the current four centrebacks will be gone before next season in order to bring in a new one.

Timeoue Bakayoko & Danny Drinkwater

Two great examples of poor recruitment from Chelsea, both Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater can depart the club at the right price. However, agreeing on what the right price is will be the biggest obstacle in these deals.

In Bakayoko’s case, Chelsea does not want a net loss on the deal. There are reports of interest from PSG, who value him at £26.5 million. However, Chelsea are looking to hold out until its £31 million valuation is met.

In the case of Drinkwater, his wage demands are too high for lower and mid-table Premier League clubs to afford, which has been the biggest obstacle in finding a new destination for the English midfielder. That said, meeting the requirements to be a homegrown player may play out in his favour, making him a more valuable option than he actually is.

Davide Zappacosta & Mario Pasalic

Having joined as a wing-back under Antonio Conte, Davide Zappacosta failed to make an impact under Sarri before being loaned out to AS Roma. With Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta in the side, it is highly unlikely that Chelsea would want to keep Zappacosta on the books any longer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea loanee Mario Pasalic, is set for a summer move to Atalanta for £12.5 million. The 25-year-old has been sent on multiple loan spells ever since he joined the club in 2014. He has failed to register a single appearance in a blue shirt. Having spent the last two years on loan at Atalanta, he has helped the Serie A club rebuild and become one of the most exciting teams in the Italian top flight. Pasalic is ready to join Atalanta on a permanent transfer. The Blues will happily accept this offer and can consider the sale another success on the loan army front.

Who do you think the Blues should offload in the summer and which players do you want to join Chelsea? Let us know in the comments!