The internal strife at Stamford Bridge is being enjoyed by all their closest Premier League and Champions League rivals, as Roman Abramovich rushes to sell the club he has done so much to propel to success over the last couple of decades. Whoever eventually comes in to take over from the Russian, there is no doubt that experts will be downgrading Chelsea’s chances of winning the Premier League or Champions League next term, because no amount of sticky tape and plasters will be able to plug the hole that will be blown in the stern of Chelsea’s proverbial super yacht. Here we detail some of the big-name players who may not be appearing in Premier League tipster columns next season, having moved on to pastures new away from Stamford Bridge. All bets are off regarding where they may end up next.
Chelsea Stars Who Could Jump Ship this Summer
Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen
These three defenders are the backbone of the Chelsea defense, with all of them having played key roles in the team’s recent successes. At the time of writing, the only one of them to have decided his future is Christensen, who has a deal in place to go and join a rejuvenated Barcelona.
Negotiations between the club, Azpilicueta and Rudiger are ongoing, although recent happenings in the Stamford Bridge boardroom may well convince these veteran ballers to end their careers elsewhere.
N’Golo Kante
While the three above-mentioned defenders were always prime candidates to leave in the summer, due to their deals running out in June, it is more those players whose contracts run till June 2023 who are the most interesting, as it becomes time for the club to decide whether to cash in while they can or hold onto them for twelve more months of service.
When it comes to dedicated service, there are few players who can match the honest dedication of French midfield warhorse, N’Golo Kante. The diminutive star has won the hearts of the Stamford Bridge faithful, with his down to earth attitude and incredible game awareness. However, PSG are known to have been sniffing around the former Leicester man, and they could well offer a deal that Kante nor a new Chelsea owner can ignore.
Jorginho
He was hailed as one of the best players on the planet after he aided Italy in becoming the Euro 2020 champions, but since then he has been brutally side-lined by Thomas Tuchel, who apparently has been unimpressed with the Italian’s abilities.
With his deal also set to run out in the summer of 2023, he would seem like a prime candidate to be moved on. There will be no shortage of suitors lining up to take him, with Italy being an obvious destination. Juventus are said to be monitoring him and are already airing the idea of a swap deal involving Adrien Rabiot. It remains to be seen if such a deal would be to Tuchel’s liking.
Ross Barkley
Once considered one of the hottest midfield talents in the UK, Barkley’s career has seriously stalled this season, as a Chelsea squad packed with midfield talent has seen him left out in the cold. There were January loan offers on the table for him to move somewhere like Turkey, but he chose instead to remain in West London and battle for a berth in the first team.
Such chances have not been forthcoming and there seems little point in the 28-year-old hanging around for the remaining twelve months of his contract. Clubs he already has a personal connection to, like Aston Villa and Everton, will be the most likely destinations for Barkley, who has already shown he isn’t keen to venture abroad to ply his trade.
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