With a likely makeover on the horizon, the summer transfer season is going to be a vital moment for Chelsea Football Club. The Blues are expected to lose a number of players over the summer, since they should be under new ownership by the time the window opens.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Antonio Rudiger is about to leave the team. After Thomas Tuchel recently revealed his compatriot’s intention to quit Chelsea, it’s been rumored that the German defender is close to signing a free transfer to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer, and he appears to be on his way out of the west London club. According to Spanish news site AS, Barcelona has agreed to a five-year contract.
Cesar Azpilicueta was in the same situation as Rudiger and Christensen, but thanks to an appearance-based clause in the Spaniard’s contract, his contract was recently extended. The Chelsea captain, though, might yet depart this summer, with Barcelona reportedly showing an interest in his talents.
Aside from that, at least one offensive player might depart the team at the end of the season. Tuchel now has a plethora of attacking alternatives, including Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Hakim Ziyech.
Except for Havertz, they’ve all been tied to a move away, though some more loosely than others. Lukaku appears to be the player most likely to go.
Since returning to Chelsea for over £100 million last summer, the Belgian has failed to settle in. Lukaku, who has only five Premier League goals this season, might try to end his miserable second time in west London, with Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Barcelona all reportedly interested.
If all of these players depart, and two of them, Rudiger and Christensen, are practically certain to do so, Chelsea will be obliged to enter the transfer market. Of course, this assumes that a new owner has been found by the time the summer transfer season starts.
Chelsea had a strong interest in Sevilla defender Jules Kounde last summer but was unable to reach an agreement with the Spanish club on a cost. However, reports say that Sevilla is more willing to let Kounde depart this summer, which may be wonderful news for the Blues.
According to rumors in Spain, Sevilla is prepared to sell Kounde this summer for £50.5 million, with the France international’s contract expiring in just two years. Chelsea is rumored to be considering a number of center defenders at the moment, including Kounde. The Blues have been scouting Villarreal defender Pau Torres, according to football.london.
Given Chelsea’s pursuit of Kounde last summer, the Frenchman appears to be at the top of the list this time around. Moving up the pitch, the team is interested in signing Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea has scouted the Frenchman, who can play virtually anywhere across the front line, over the last couple of years and again recently, according to football.london. The Blues are interested in the £58.5 million RB Leipzig attacker on a long-term basis, but no decision will be made until the club’s acquisition is finished.
With Kounde and Nkunku, how could Chelsea line up?
Kounde would be a like-for-like successor for Rudiger if he were to leave. Rudiger, on the other hand, would not play left center-back. In a back-three with Thiago Silva in the centre, move Kounde to the right and the excellent Trevoh Chalobah to the left. This is, of course, if Tuchel sticks to his traditional 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 system.
Nkunku would then go to the left flank, but he could also play in any of the three attacking positions. With Havertz as the striker, there is a decision on who will play the right flank, although Mount has been the most consistent of all the alternatives this season.
