Since Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea, a consortium led by Todd Boehly has drastically altered the club’s identity in the Premier League. The new American owners’ arrival on English soil has resulted in an unprecedented influx of cash and the import of some of the world’s most promising young talent.
Regrettably, many of these acquisitions have not borne fruit and Chelsea has struggled to maximise the potential of these young players due to an abundance of options. Since the Boehly takeover, three managers have been in charge of the club. Enzo Maresca, an Italian who played a crucial role in Leicester City’s return to the Premier League, will lead the team into the upcoming season.
Chelsea has been operating on the edge of FFP rules and now faces a challenge in managing player departures. Nonetheless, several players in their roster can generate substantial revenue for the club. A primary responsibility for the hierarchy ahead of the new season will be to ensure that all surplus players are transferred to balance the books effectively. Here are five players who could be moving out of Chelsea permanently before the deadline this summer.
#5 Andrey Santos
In January 2023, Andrey Santos was formally acquired by Chelsea from the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. Initially beginning his youth career as a defender, Santos rapidly emerged as one of Brazil’s prominent young talents in a midfield position. After his acquisition, Chelsea loaned him back to Vasco da Gama for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
Chelsea then promptly transferred Santos on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he spent the initial half of the last season. However, his performance during this period failed to meet expectations, prompting his return to Chelsea in January. On the final day of the winter transfer window, he was loaned to Strasbourg Football Club in France. During his time with the French club, he made 11 appearances before eventually making his return to Chelsea.
One of the factors influencing Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to continuously loan out Santos was the abundance of promising young midfield options already at his disposal. This rationale remains unchanged, and Santos may be eager to secure increased playing time alongside a promising future, potentially leading him to ask for his sale.
Strasbourg has expressed interest in acquiring Santos for the entire 2024-25 season but Chelsea will evaluate their options under the recently appointed manager before making any decisions.
#4 Armando Broja
Over several years, Armando Broja has emerged as one of Chelsea’s most promising youth academy prospects. The Albanian international spent eleven years honing his skills within Chelsea’s youth academy before making his senior team debut in 2020.
Following his professional debut for the London-based club in February 2020, Broja embarked on a series of loan spells over the subsequent four years, representing Vitesse, Southampton, and Fulham.
During the 2021-22 season, Broja experienced a notable degree of success while on loan at Southampton. However, upon joining Fulham earlier this year in 2024, he encountered difficulties in leaving an impact.
As Broja returns to Chelsea, seeking opportunities to demonstrate his capabilities, he faces the challenging reality that he may be closer to departing the club than securing a place in the first team. Maresca possesses an abundance of outstanding attacking options, and Broja has yet to establish himself at the highest level. This situation may prompt the club to consider selling him.
In January, Fulham attempted to acquire the player permanently. However, Chelsea’s asking price of £50 million deterred the deal before it could gain momentum. Currently, Italian giants Juventus have expressed interest in signing Broja and initiated preliminary contact. Reports indicate that a potential transfer fee in the region of £20 million could facilitate Broja’s move to the Old Lady ahead of the forthcoming season.
#3 Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa enjoyed a promising start to his loan spell at Real Madrid last season
Kepa Arrizabalaga held the distinction of being the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea acquired him from Athletic Bilbao. While he undoubtedly had several notable performances during his tenure with the six-time English champions, he has failed to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers, despite his hefty price tag.
The management swiftly shifted their allegiance from the Spanish goalkeeper, opting for Edouard Mendy in the summer of 2020, merely two years after their record-breaking acquisition of Arrizabalaga. Mendy made an immediate impact, contributing to the team’s 2021 Champions League title triumph, relegating Kepa to cup competitions and a primarily bench-warming role.
Kepa enjoyed a promising start to his loan spell at Real Madrid last season, being part of their La Liga and Champions League-winning squad. However, he subsequently fell out of favor and made only 20 appearances throughout the season. Aston Villa and Ipswich Town have expressed interest in acquiring the player, and Chelsea seeks to expedite his departure.
#2 David Datro Fofana
David Datro Fofana stands as an exemplary young talent in European football, captivating the attention of Chelsea’s owners and prompting them to substantially invest in him. Fofana’s exceptional performances with Norwegian club Molde earned him a highly sought-after transfer to the English giants at the beginning of last year.
His arrival in London in January 2023 marked the beginning of his Chelsea career but Fofana soon found himself among a group of players deemed surplus to requirements within the Chelsea roster. He embarked on two separate loan spells during the previous season. The first half of the season saw him loaned to Union Berlin, followed by Burnley in January 2024.
Collectively, he showcased his skills in 32 appearances, contributing six goals. Chelsea’s ongoing exploration of the transfer market for attacking reinforcements indicates that Fofana’s future with the club may be uncertain.
Presently, rumors suggest the possibility of another loan deal for the Ivorian with Turkish club Galatasaray. However, Chelsea remains open to considering a permanent move should a suitable offer emerge for the 21-year-old forward.
#1 Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku was acquired by Chelsea through a club-record transaction
Football fans may have forgotten the fact that Romelu Lukaku, a renowned striker, remains a registered player of Chelsea. Following two extraordinary seasons in Serie A with Inter Milan, where he impressively scored 64 goals in 95 matches and secured the league title with the club, Lukaku was subsequently acquired by Chelsea through a club-record transaction, aimed at resolving their persistent striker conundrum.
However, the story transpired rather differently during his second tenure with the club. During his first season, Lukaku scored 15 goals in 44 matches across various competitions, which marginally met expectations given his significant transfer fee.
However, the player expressed dissatisfaction with the substantial criticism he faced and opted to return to Italy, where he spent the past two seasons on loan at Inter Milan and AS Roma. His standing within the Chelsea squad has significantly diminished, presenting the club with a complex predicament as they endeavour to find a suitable buyer for him.
Discussions regarding a potential move to one of the Saudi clubs have been ongoing for some time. The club maintains its expectation of receiving an amount moderately exceeding £30 million for the 31-year-old striker, which several European clubs may deem unrealistic. Concurrently, Napoli, an Italian club, is engaged in negotiations with the Belgian striker, exploring the possibility of securing either a permanent transfer or a loan agreement.