Chelsea are to embark on another major January clearout with five stars potentially set to depart – but one of the players reportedly made up for grabs by Todd Boely will not sit well with manager Mauricio Pochettino.
And while there are some successes of the summer window – most notably Cole Palmer – others such as Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and to a lesser extent, Nicolas Jackson, are yet to vindicate their sizeable fees.
As a result, the Blues are preparing for yet another transfer window of changes and amid reports that several new faces could arrive and some of their current squad members depart.
To that end, it is no secret that Chelsea that Pochettino would love to get his hands on a new striker, with links to several names including Ivan Toney, Victor Osimhen and most recently, Viktor Gyokeres, all emerging.
However, Boehly has also made it clear that some players will also need to depart and now a report claims five of Chelsea’s squad have been told they are likely to move on in the January window.
The most high-profile of these is Conor Gallagher, and we exclusively revealed earlier this month that he is one of the names the Blues board could consider selling if a sizeable offer arrives.
Tottenham lurking for Conor Gallagher swoop
The England midfielder has been a regular under Pochettino this season, captaining the side on 11 occasions this season.
However, The Athletic confirms our report that he is the most high-profile name they could consider moving on when the January window opens for business.
The sale of Gallagher would certainly hurt Pochettino, who has made it clear his wish to retain the star. But if talk of his £40m exit would annoy the Argentine, that would be nothing compared to the rage he would undoubtedly feel if his former club Tottenham manage to seal his signing.
Indeed, they are reportedly among the leading candidates to sign the 23-year-old, while Everton, West Ham and Manchester United are also among those monitoring his situation.
While the sale of Gallagher is only considered a possibility, there are four other players who do look more likely to leave the Bridge next month.
And the exodus will likely be lead by Trevoh Chalobah, with the defender yet to appear since Pochettino took charge. Despite his inactivity, a host of clubs are looking at his signing with West Ham, Tottenham and Roma all linked. However, a surprise move to Bayern Munich may yet emerge with Thomas Tuchel knowing the player well and very much on the lookout for defensive reinforcements.
He will be joined out the exit door by Ian Maatsen, who despite recently inclusion and starting Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, is also likely to leave.
Boehly wants five Chelsea players sold
The Dutchman has been strongly linked with a move to West Ham as David Moyes looks to add the 21-year-old to his left-back options that are currently limited to just Emerson Palmieri.
A third defender in Malang Sarr will also be moved on. He has made 21 appearances for the Blues since arriving as a free agent from Nice in summer 2021. Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, Sarr sprang to fame for unwanted reasons over the summer when Pochettino completely forgot who he was.
The fifth player likely to depart is Broja, with the Albania striker failing to take his chance when given time in the side this season.
Broja has appeared 12 times this season, but managed to score just once and will now be allowed to leave on the proviso that Chelsea manage to sign a big-name striker of their own.
However, if Boehly fails to get his hands on a new man – and the January window is notoriously difficult to secure big-money targets – then it may well be that the 22-year-old is given a stay of execution until the summer.
But Boehly and Pochettino remain intent on signing a new No 9 with that considered the club’s main priority heading into the winter window.