Why Chilwell could lead Chelsea summer exodus with Man City lurking

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 13 Mar 2023 18:49 GMT
• 2 min read

Ben Chillwell could headline a host of departures at Chelsea this summer as they look to continue the revamp of their squad in the Todd Boehly era.

Chelsea have spent nearly £600 million on players since the American owner bought the club last year but the Blues will first focus on outgoings in the offseason as they look to shrink their squad size after their significant investment.

Manager Graham Potter currently has more than 30 players in his squad, leaving some players isolated and frustrated, while the club also need to sell players to avoid any trouble with Financial Fair Play.

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The Athletic report that Manchester City have a ‘genuine interest’ in Chilwell and Chelsea are considering the future of all players who have less than two years on their contract, which includes the 26-year-old.

Chilwell’s current deal expires in 2025 and has struggled with injuries since his £50m arrival from Leicester in 2020, making just 49 Premier League appearances and only eight starts in the competition this season.

Chelsea also have Marc Cucurella, a £56m signing last summer, meaning they would not need to splash out on a replacement for Chilwell if they sold him, although the England international appears happy at Stamford Bridge and remains an important part of Potter’s team.

Chelsea aim to clean out squad, starting with expiring contracts

Chilwell scored in Chelsea’s win over Leicester on the weekend which leaves the Blues 11 points outside the top four and still looking unlikely to qualify for next season’s Champions League despite back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since October.

Failure to qualify for Europe’s top competition could mean the need for further sales and Chelsea will primarily look to move on players entering the final year of their contracts unless an extension is agreed.

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Mason Mount could lead those departures, with the 24-year-old still unable to come to an agreement over fresh terms, as well as Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Should Chelsea be able to move some of those players on, they may not see the need to immediately sell Chilwell or indeed any of the other players with two years left on their deals, such as Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz.

But Chelsea’s resolve over Chilwell could be tested by City, who are looking to sign a left-back having let Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo leave in recent times, leaving Pep Guardiola woefully short in depth in the position.