Chelsea are expected to sell a number of players in the summer to counterbalance their huge spending spree and Arsenal are considering swooping in, according to reports.
The west London club spent more than £250m in the January window, bringing in nine new faces in a mix of big-money buys, young recruits and a loan deal for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix.
Chelsea’s spending under their new owners has now gone beyond the £500m mark and one of their big focuses in the summer will be recouping funds to comply with Financial Fair Play.
The significant fee they received in January was from Arsenal, with the club agreeing a cut-price £12m deal for Jorginho – who only had six months left on his contract.
According to The Guardian, the Blues intend to be ‘ruthless’ in trimming their squad and offloading players in the summer and Arsenal are one of the teams ready to try and nab a bargain.
The Gunners have their eye on Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is unlikely to remain at the club when he returns from his loan at Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the campaign.
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Hudson-Odoi is an attractive proposition because he is homegrown and was one of the highest-rated youngers in the Premier League.
But, a loan move to the Bundesliga has failed to reignite his form, with the winger registering just one assist and no goals in 11 league games – though he did get on the scoresheet in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal are now tracking Hudson-Odoi’s displays for Leverkusen ahead of a possible move, while other teams are also keeping tabs on his possible availability.
In addition to offloading the winger, Chelsea will also listen to offers for Ziyech – whose move to PSG collapsed after a paperwork mistake, and also Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic.
They are also keen to sell both Aubameyang and Kalidou Koulibaly despite only signing the duo last summer, with former boss Thomas Tuchel believed to have been central to their recruitment.
Also, Chelsea would like to get a fee for Romelu Lukaku – or at the very least loan him to Inter Milan for another campaign.
