Transfer Centre

Five players pushing for Chelsea exits?

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 25 July 2022

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel could reportedly allow as many as five first-team players to leave the club this summer, including Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel could reportedly allow as many as five first-team players to leave the club this summer.

The Blues have already allowed Romelu Lukaku to re-join Inter Milan on a season-long loan deal, while Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have both left the club upon the expiration of their contracts, joining Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Chelsea were initially struggling to make waves in the transfer market but new chairman and co-controlling owner Todd Boehly has since splashed the cash on Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Further additions are set to be made by the West Londoners before the September 1 deadline, but there could also be a number of departures from Stamford Bridge.

According to The Mirror journalist Darren Lewis, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic are all open to leaving the club this summer.

Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta reacts after the match on April 20, 2022 © Reuters

Lewis adds that both Azpilicueta, 32, and Alonso, 31, want to join Catalan giants Barcelona, although the former's potential switch to Camp Nou remains uncertain after Tuchel suggested to the press that he may consider blocking the Spaniard's return to his homeland.

Azpilicueta, who has spent 10 years at Chelsea and has made 474 appearances in all competitions, has just 12 months remaining on his contract, while Alonso also has just a year left on his current deal.

Meanwhile, Ziyech has recently been linked with both AC Milan and Manchester United, with the former understood to have reopened talks to discuss the Moroccan's availability.

The 29-year-old playmaker, who has found the net 14 times in 83 games across all tournaments, has struggled to nail down a regular starting place under Tuchel and is thought to be considering a switch to San Siro, which would see him link up with former Blues duo Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud.

Werner is another player who is seeking regular first-team football, although Tuchel has challenged the German forward to earn his place in the first XI.

Chelsea forward Timo Werner pictured on October 2, 2021 © Reuters

The 26-year-old, who still has three years remaining on his Chelsea contract, refused to rule out a potential exit from Stamford Bridge when speaking to the media earlier this month and believed that he need to play more regularly ahead of representing Germany at the 2022 World Cup.

The long-term future of USA international Pulisic is also believed to be uncertain following the big-money arrival of Sterling.

Like Ziyech and Werner, Pulisic has not been a guaranteed starter under Tuchel, beginning only 13 Premier League matches last season, and the likes of Juventus and AC Milan are thought to be keeping tabs on the 23-year-old's situation.

Funds generated by Chelsea from potential sales this summer are expected to go towards a new central defender, although a possible move for top target Jules Kounde now seem unlikely as Barcelona have seemingly moved one step closer to announcing the Frenchman's arrival at Camp Nou.