Chelsea face the prospect of replacing much of their squad this summer, with Barcelona having placed a good contract offer on the table for Cesar Azpilicueta.
Thomas Tuchel and the club’s recruitment team have prepared numerous shortlists to try and get going when the Todd Boehly-led takeover is complete, lifting transfer sanctions for the west London side.
They are initially targeting two centre-backs but, after possible player sales, could widen their search to sign a central midfielder, a winger and a new striker.
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The Blues want two centre-backs to replace Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who are due to leave for Real Madrid and Barcelona on respective free transfers.
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, Paris Saint-Germain’s Presnel Kimpembe, RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez have all been discussed as potential options.
Chelsea could also sell a host of players with Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso attracting interest from Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Juventus are considering a move for Jorginho, who is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, which would free up the Blues to add not just Conor Gallagher, on loan from Crystal Palace, but possibly Declan Rice from West Ham or Aurelien Tchouameni of Monaco.
The Italian giants also want a left-back and Emerson Palmieri is on their shortlist. His departure could create space for Chelsea to sign a new winger, with Brighton’s Marc Cucurella long admired by Tuchel and his team.
Although it’s unclear which striker could still be signed, the Blues have interest from Dortmund in Timo Werner for a summer move.
Romelu Lukaku’s situation at Chelsea is also currently unclear after a very difficult last few months which saw him lose his place in the squad due to poor form. He is hoping to find his way back to prominence at Chelsea and would be a tough sell due to his high wages following a record £100m ($136m) transfer from Inter in 2021.
Elsewhere, it’s worth noting that Saul Niguez’s £30m ($37m) option to buy Saul Niguez is unlikely to be activated after he claimed only a marginal role on loan from the club. ‘Atletico Madrid.
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Barca are ready to give Azpilicueta a pay rise and a two-year contract with an option for another year. The 32-year-old captain knows he can earn £11m ($14m) per season before tax at Camp Nou.
However, the Catalans are unable to afford a substantial transfer fee for the Spain international due to the ongoing Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions imposed on them by La Liga.
They are also targeting Marcos Alonso but are also aiming to get him for as little as possible, with both defenders having just over 12 months on their current contracts.
Barcelona are hoping to sell a player from their squad for big money to help fund their summer transfer deal.
It’s also what kept them from serious competition with Manchester City to sign Erling Haaland from Borrusia Dortmund, who are reportedly set to seal a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium.
With the purchase agreement, the Blues only have to do their last due diligence on the consortium led by Todd Boehly.
It is generally expected to be a formality. The sale of the club is subject to Premier League approval and is expected to be facilitated by the UK government within the next fortnight.
Those close to the sale believe they are on track to complete it by the end of May, when they will then receive a new operating license which will allow them to resume normal management of the club.
The Boehly-led consortium is widely aware of the impending issues to be resolved, including the expiration of several players’ contracts. They want to make new offers to Mason Mount and Reece James, who both have below-market-rate contracts.
They will also apply a Liverpool-style data-driven approach to transfer decisions, employing Danny Finkelstein as non-executive director due to his proven ability in statistical analysis.
Asked if Chelsea have set any transfer targets for the end of the Boehly takeover, Tuchel said in his last press conference: “At the moment, no. A positive sign. We have the impression that it will come to an end and give us possibilities to act but at this very moment it is not like that.
“Maybe if I had (information on money for the summer) I wouldn’t tell you! But I don’t, so I don’t have to lie.
