The Blues have exceeded all expectations this season, currently sitting second in the Premier League at Christmas, just four points behind Liverpool, albeit with an extra game played.
Although Enzo Maresca claims they are not in the title race, some believe the club is only a couple of signings away from being top contenders. ..Continue Reading
However, it is more probable that players will leave Stamford Bridge in January, with several stars tired of being sidelined, and the club needing to raise funds after spending over £1 billion on transfers in the last two and a half years.
Two players expected to depart are Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka, with Maresca recently stating that he anticipated both to request to leave after being exiled from the first team.
Last summer, the head coach informed Chilwell that he was surplus to requirements, and he has played just 45 minutes of football this season, in the Carabao Cup win over Barrow in September.
Despite being linked with multiple clubs across Europe, the left-back was unable to secure a move away in the last transfer window and seems set to leave when the window reopens next month.
However, according to The Sun, Chelsea has not received a single offer for the 28-year-old defender.
The main obstacle, unsurprisingly, is Chilwell’s significant salary, with the England international earning £200,000 per week, making him one of the highest earners at the club.
While Manchester United, Napoli, and West Ham have shown interest in signing him, even on loan, the wages are too high, and some clubs also have concerns about his fitness.
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 in a £50 million deal and won the Champions League in his first season, but injuries have severely hampered his career, causing him to miss 107 games for club and country since his move.
Discussing the player’s future in west London, Maresca said last week: ‘There are players that unfortunately didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions like Chilwell, like Carney.
‘Probably they are the first [to say] that they want to leave because they train every day, because they want to play games. If they don’t play games probably they are thinking of leaving.
‘Each player is a bit different situation, so we’re going to see if some of them are coming and knocking on the door to say, “I want to leave”, or something like that. It depends and we will try to find a solution.’
