Chelsea may be forced into putting seven players on sale this summer as their financial accounts have prompted concerns that they may not be able to abide by the Premier League’s rules, according to reports.
The league has guidelines over how much money teams are allowed to lose over a set period of time, which could force Todd Boehly and co into making some key decisions at Stamford Bridge.
After Chelsea posted losses of £121m for the 2021/22 season, they highlighted the UK government sanctions that the club were placed under after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned a year ago as part of the reason behind the financial figure.
Chelsea said they continued complying with UEFA and Premier League financial regulations despite the losses and the impact of the sanctions. The Blues also claimed the effects of the sanctions on their financial results would continue to be felt “in the following years”.
But, The Times claim Chelsea are facing having to raise a huge amount of money to avoid breaching the Premier League’s rules as clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105m over a three-year period. They lost £153.4m in 2020/21, but made a profit of £32.5m the previous year.
The Mirror have reported that their financial issues place seven stars at risk of being sold in the summer as funds look to be raised by axing members of Graham Potter’s squad.
Aubameyang is set to be among the first priorities as the former Arsenal and Barcelona star has fallen down the pecking order and will likely leave Chelsea in the summer, having been axed from the Champions League squad.
Chelsea could use their famed Cobham academy to their advantage, as sold players who came through the youth system would represent big profit on the club’s books.
Mason Mount has been unable to agree on a new deal and with less than 18 months left on his current contract, could be sold in the summer with Liverpool and Newcastle United among those reported to be interested in his services.
Similarly, the report claims Gallagher & Loftus-Cheek could also make way. The duo could fetch a huge profit together and have previously been the subjects of interest from Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace.
Hakim Ziyech came close to a Chelsea exit in January, as his loan move to PSG collapsed at the last hurdle but as he remains on the fringes of the squad could be sold in order to raise funds.
