Chelsea could let as many as six players leave in the remaining three weeks of January transfer window, at least partially motivated by fundraising for a potential search for Marco Guehi.
Guehi connections appeared following injuries to Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, highlighting the need to further strengthen the defence.
Guehi, who Chelsea sold to Crystal Palace for £18m in the summer of 2021, was valued at £70m last summer when the England centre-back was the subject of multiple bids from Newcastle United. Chelsea are believed to have a sell-on clause in any future deal for Guehi.
Chelsea was too associated with the Trevoh Chalobah U-turn shockhalf a season after he completely froze the home defender and loaned him to Palace.
According to TelegraphThe Blues are adamant that any recruitment in January does not amount to panic buying, but they want to be ready to go after the right opportunities.
Clearing out a bloated squad has been a requirement for some time, as Chelsea simply have too many first-team players for Enzo Maresca to use regularly. It is well known that Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and even summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are available for transfer. The club would want around £60m for Chukwuemeka and Casadei alone, while Dewsbury-Hall cost £30m from Leicester City just six months ago.
He cites two new and therefore surprising names Telegraph that Chelsea who would be willing to quit this month are Axel Disasi and Christopher Nkunku.
Disasi has often captained the team, albeit rotated, in the Conference League and Carabao Cup this season. But the £38.5million Frenchman has hardly featured in the Premier League and has been identified as someone who does not fit Maresca’s style of play.
Nkunku was signed for £52m after a prolific spell at RB Leipzig, only for injuries to ruin his first season with Chelsea. He made significantly more appearances under Maresco than the others listed here, but still primarily as a substitute when it comes to the bread and butter of the Premier League.
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