Mauricio Pochettino has given Chelsea his assessment of the squad and told the club to focus their rebuild on homegrown talent.
The former Tottenham boss is now in advanced talks with the Blues over becoming their new permanent manager.
Reports suggest a deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge and take over from Frank Lampard could be completed as early as this week – although it remains to be seen whether he would take over immediately or wait until the summer.
Chelsea have spent more than £600m since Todd Boehly’s takeover last year with a massive overhaul of the squad set to take place this summer.
Ahead of his potential arrival, Pochettino has given his verdict on a number of players whose futures are currently in question, according to The Times.
The 51-year-old manager has also informed the club the presence of homegrown talent within the group can serve a major role in building a winning culture in London.
Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah are among the academy graduates whose futures at Stamford Bridge are uncertain.
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Another youngster in Levi Colwill is set to return to the club this summer after his spell at Brighton and will be part of the first-team next campaign.
Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Christian Pulisic, Kovacic, Hudson-Odoi, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Aubameyang will all have just a year left on their respective contracts this summer.
N’Golo Kante meanwhile is out of contract at the end of the season with the London club facing another issue in the return of Lukaku, with Inter Milan not keen on making his loan arrangement permanent.
Should Pochettino be appointed as Chelsea manager, he will be joined by his four close confidants in assistant and head of conditioning Jesus Perez, first-team coach Miguel D’Agostino, goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez and his son Sebastiano, a sports scientist.
Perez, D’Agostino and Jimenez have been with Pochettino for most of his managerial career, joining him at Southampton and Tottenham and even following him to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Pochettino has been without any job since parting ways with the French club last year.
