Chelsea star set for Milan as part of Pochettino purge

Tom Hancock

• 30 May 2023 18:11 BST
• 3 min read

Ruben Loftus-Cheek could become the first player to leave Chelsea following the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, with AC Milan said to be closing in on the England midfielder.

The 27-year-old is out of contract at Stamford Bridge next summer, and the Blues look set to cash in while they still can.

Loftus-Cheek’s versatility might have made him an invaluable option for Pochettino – but it seems hit time is up at the club he first joined at the age of eight.

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Fabrizio Romano reports that Milan and Chelsea are ‘hopeful and optimistic’ of agreeing a 'long-term' deal for Loftus-Cheek, having been in talks for the last two weeks.

Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates Loftus-Cheek – who has won 10 caps for England, albeit none since 2018 – at €10.2m.

Should he join Milan, he will reunite with former Chelsea teammate Fikayo Tomori – with the England centre-back having made a €28.5m switch to the San Siro two years ago.

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The first of many out the Chelsea exit door?

Despite twice being loaned out other Premier League clubs in recent years – Crystal Palace in 2017/18 and Fulham in 2020/21 – Loftus-Cheek has returned to Chelsea and re-established himself as an important member of the first team.

In fact, his tally of 25 league appearances in 2022/23 – among them 19 starts – ranks as the highest of his career so far.

But the Blues' need to trim their senior squad in order to avoid potentially breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules is likely to see a fair few notable names depart the club over the coming months: Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher are among the other players strongly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge during the upcoming transfer window.