Five players Chelsea who could be on their way out before deadline day
Chelsea have once again spent big in the transfer market this summer.
The Blues are starting life under new boss Enzo Maresca and a return to Europe, contesting the UEFA Conference League after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season.
Nine players have come in to Stamford Bridge including £54m Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for £30m. It also looks increasingly likely that Joao Felix will be signing number 10.
Chelsea have managed to raise some funds with the sales of Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson, while Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva have left for free. A host of youngsters have sealed loans, as well, including Alfie Gilchrist, new signing Caleb Wiley and US international goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina.
But Chelsea are going to need to get even more wages off their books this season, not to mention recouping some of the transfer fees they’ve shelled out. So, who are the five most likely players to be sold this summer and where are they going?
Romelu Lukaku
We’ll start with the most obvious candidate not named Conor Gallagher. Romelu Lukaku hasn’t played a game for Chelsea in almost two years after spending the last two campaigns on loan in Serie A, first with Inter Milan and then with Roma last season.
The Belgian has performed well in Italy, netting 14 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions for Inter before netting 21 times in 47 outings for Roma. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you to find out that it’s Italy where the biggest interest is coming from again this summer.
According to reports, Napoli are the frontrunners for Lukaku’s signature and, indeed, the 2022/23 Scudetto winners are currently priced at 1/7 by Sky Bet to sign the 31-year-old, well clear of second-favourites AC Milan (8/1).
You can get odds of 12/1 for Lukaku to sign for any Saudi Pro League club, but this is a player who has 70 goals to his name in 129 Serie appearances to date, while he and his agent have spoken fondly of Italian football on numerous occasions over the years.
“One day we will see Lukaku back in Serie A, because he loves Italy. But now it’s time for Chelsea to enjoy Romelu,” Federico Pastorello said in December 2021.
Raheem Sterling
The signing of Raheem Sterling two years ago had the potential to be a game-changer for Chelsea given he’d just come off a 17-goal season for Manchester City. But while he’s not been bad, it’s never quite worked out as hoped, with Sterling netting just 19 goals in 81 appearances across all competitions — and only 14 across two seasons in the Premier League.
As a result, Sterling has fallen down the pecking order for England and missed out on their Euro 2024 squad entirely. He also missed out on Chelsea’s squad for their opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Shortly after the Chelsea lineup was announced, a statement from Sterling’s representatives was released saying they had expected him to feature in the match — then stating they would seek clarity on the decision.
The statement read: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.
“Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”
However, Sterling is still only 29 years old and has a huge amount to offer to the right club in terms of pace and goalscoring.
Recent reports have suggested Italian giants Juventus are considering bringing Sterling on board, but that they also have Man Utd star Jadon Sancho on their shortlist. A look at the odds shows them as the clear favourites with Sky Bet at 7/4. Behind them are Arsenal at 6/1 and then any Saudi Pro League club at 7/1.
Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell is Chelsea’s vice captain but he hasn’t had the best of times at the club in recent years. Like captain Reece James, Chilwell has suffered with injury issues and lost his starting spot last season to Marc Cucurella.
The Englishman will have hoped to have a chance to prove himself to Maresca this season but it appears Chilwell is surplus to requirements. Maresca himself said that it would be more beneficial for Chilwell to leave Chelsea to find playing time, not really fitting into the new manager’s system.
“Chilly not been training for the last few days because he has been ill,” Maresca told reporters.
“It’s quite clear, I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position.”
“This morning we had 22 players training, and if you ask all of them they will say they want to play against City on Sunday but that is impossible.
“When they train every day and do not get any minutes, it is not good for them or for me, [as] I need to make a decision. It is probably better to leave and get minutes [elsewhere]. The transfer window is open so we’ll see what happens.”
Chilwell isn’t without his suitors, and he deserves them. Although the Englishman has struggled with injury of late, at his best Chilwell is one of the top left-backs in the Premier League. In his first season at Chelsea, Chilwell was directly involved in eight goals in the Premier League, scoring three and providing five assists.
He created 30 chances and made 42 tackles, winning possession 53 times in the middle third and attempting 136 crosses. According to reports, Manchester United are interested in a left-back and they have looked at Chilwell before.
Trevoh Chalobah
Perhaps the most bizarre potential sale of the summer. Chelsea’s defence wasn’t the best last season, but their standout centre-back was definitely Trevoh Chalobah. But now he’s been frozen out of the squad, not even allowed to train with the first team according to reports.
This is a player that has been at Chelsea from the start, coming through the club’s academy and following in the footsteps of older brother Nathaniel. Since making his Chelsea debut, Chalobah has made 80 appearances for the Blues, winning the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Last season, Chalobah was restricted to just 17 appearances across all competitions with 13 in the Premier League. However, that was due to injury which ruled out him until February. After making his way back into the starting XI, Chalobah started 10 of Chelsea’s final 13 Premier League matches.
In that time, the 25-year-old was mostly used at centre-back but was also utilised in midfield and at right-back on a handful of occasions. He averaged 1.51 tackles per 90 minutes, completed 4.64 clearances and won 2.94 possessions in the defensive third in the Premier League last season.
Aston Villa seem to be the frontrunners for Chalobah this summer, but Crystal Palace are also reportedly interested. Palace’s interest may rest on whether Newcastle do match their valuation of Marc Guehi. But whatever happens there, Chalobah’s future isn’t at Chelsea.
Noni Madueke
Another name that could be potentially on the way out of Chelsea is Noni Madueke.
Madueke was a part of Chelsea’s monumental transfer splurge back in January 2023 but as of yet, he’s failed to nail down a regular starting spot and has just nine goals and three assists to his name in 46 appearances across all competitions.
Nevertheless, Madueke proved during his time at PSV — and with the England youth national teams — that he is a considerable talent and given Newcastle’s lack of depth in wide areas, he’d surely see plenty of time on the pitch at St. James’ Park.
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle would take Madueke on loan or push for a permanent deal, but with Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes their only realistic starting options if Miguel Almiron leaves, they may take what they can get — especially considering rumours linking Gordon to Liverpool are yet to go away.
