Chelsea could rise almost £300million by selling 10 players with the Blues set for a major clear-out this summer as they look to comply with the Premier League‘s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Last week, the club announced a pre-tax loss of £90.1m in the first full year under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership.
Accounts filed by Chelsea FC Holdings Limited revealed the loss for the 12-month period through to June 30, 2023.
Chelsea had made a loss of £121.4m the previous year, which the club blamed on sanctions imposed on the club’s former owner Roman Abramovich.
The most recent set of figures raise further doubts over Chelsea’s ability to comply with PSR, which limit clubs to losses of £105m over a three-year period.
Chelsea may have to sell players to comply with the Premier League’s financial rules
Mauricio Pochettino admitted being in the dark about summer transfer plans
Boehly has spent over £1bn on players in four transfer windows at Stamford Bridge, but before embarking on another spending spree he must balance the books.
It was therefore no surprise to see him meet Michael Emenalo, a former Chelsea executive and now the Saudi Pro League’s director of football, during a recent visit to Riyadh.
The Kingdom remains arguably Chelsea’s best bet to raise funds. The Blues sold Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli last summer to raise £33million, while N’Golo Kante joined Al-Ittihad on a free.
More could follow this summer and here Mail Sport takes a look at which players could be filtering through the departure gates at Stamford Bridge come the end of the season.
All fees courtesy of the CIES Football Observatory
Conor Gallagher – £50million
Through no fault of his own, Gallagher has become the poster boy for Chelsea‘s PSR issues and was linked with a switch to Tottenham throughout the January transfer window.
Selling an academy product like the 24-year-old would allow the Blues to book the entire transfer fee as profit, thus creating some much-needed financial breathing space.
But Gallagher’s situation is complex. The midfielder has been one of Chelsea’s best players this season, scoring four goals and recording seven assists in 37 games in all competitions, and is no hurry to leave Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino has indicated he would like to keep Gallagher, but conceded the final decision may not ultimately rest…