Chelsea outcast Andreas Christensen has claimed that the Premier League club will prohibit the sale of key players this summer in light of their recent transfer embargo.
The Blues were hit with a two-window transfer ban following investigations by FIFA into an alleged breach of regulations concerning the recruitment of foreign players under the age of 18.
How will the ban impact Chelsea? Five key things to know…
- In accordance with the current transfer ban Chelsea will be unable to sign a player until the summer of 2020.
- Chelsea are set to appeal the ban and will meet with the FIFA Appeal Committee on April 11.
- The club asked FIFA to freeze the ban during their appeal process but the governing body rejected their original request.
- Chelsea have already secured the services of Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic in January.
- The club could also sign Gonzalo Higuain permanently from Juventus as per an agreement in his contract.
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A request to freeze the transfer embargo while the club undertakes a process of appeal was rejected by FIFA, with the club admitting they were “astonished” by the knock back.
As such, FIFA look set to uphold the ban, pending Chelsea’s hearing with the Appeal Committee on April 11, which could spell danger for a number of the key players who were perhaps looking for a move away from west London this summer.
Christensen has been on the periphery of first-team action, while Eden Hazard has dropped numerous hints across the campaign of a potential Real Madrid switch, and both could now be denied the chance of a summer exit.
Christensen has told Ekstra Bladet: “The situation I have ended up in has been very difficult to accept.
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“The messages we have received are that Chelsea cannot appeal the case and therefore want to keep all the players.
“I have tried to show myself on the training track, but it is difficult because it is limited how much we train with all the matches the team is going to play.
“Now I have played the matches in the Europa League and hope it will continue as long as we are in the tournament.”
What does this mean for Hazard?
Hazard has made no secret of his desire to one day play for Real Madrid, previously stating that it would be a “dream” to relocate to the Bernabeu.
Last October, the Belgian playmaker labelled Los Blancos as “the best club in the world” and more recently explained how he would choose a “white shirt” over a “blue shirt” when a reporter from Belgian outlet HLN presented a hypothetical scenario to him regarding his future.
With just one-year remaining on his contract come the summer, Hazard could force a move away from the club, as Chelsea will be reluctant to lose him on a free come the following summer.
As such, the Blues may be forced to sanction a possible sale through fear of losing one of their most prized assets for nothing.
With the emergence of recently capped England international Callum Hudson-Odoi and the impending arrival of American superstar Pulisic, the club may feel they have enough cover to remedy the Hazard void should a departure come to fruition.