Stamford Bridge fire sale 

Few Premier League clubs dominate the summer rumour mill quite like Chelsea. Whether it be the never-ending list of players linked to the club, or the even larger group of players already on their books and set to be sold, the Stamford Bridge club seem to be at their busiest when the transfer window opens. And while the club have already spent more than €115 million signing players like Liam Delap and Estêvão ahead of the new season, it seems almost certain that there will be a notable exodus this summer as the English giants look to recoup some large sums of money from player sales. So how much could Chelsea make this summer if they were to sell all of their unwanted stars? 

Chelsea have already earned €22.2m from player sales this summer, following the departure of Marcus Bettinelli, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Bashir Humphreys but they are expected to move on a number of first team players in the coming months. According to the Guardian and other reports in England, the Stamford Bridge side would consider selling no less than 14 players in Enzo Maresca’s squad. However, when we tally up every player that has been linked with a departure from the club according to recent reports, that number actually stands at 16. And, as we can see, there are some big names on that list that may surprise some fans of the London club. 

Of course, there are a number of players that many Chelsea fans would expect the club to sell this summer. Whether it be Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall or Lesley Ugochukwu, we can see that there are plenty of players that are certainly good enough to play in the Premier League, but just haven’t made the grade since Maresca started calling the shots. However, above them we also have some genuine stars in the form of Axel Disasi, Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku, who the club will be hopeful of earning sizable transfer fees from. But perhaps the biggest expected departure this summer will come in the form of Noni Madueke, who has been recently linked with a move to Arsenal. 

So how much could Chelsea make from selling players this summer? As we can see from the above graphic, the market value of every player linked with a move away from the club comes to an impressive €348m. When we add that to the money the club have already earned from player sales it comes in at €370.2m - which would be the highest amount of money Chelsea have ever received in a single season for player sales. However, while that may seem like a lot of money, it may actually be far less than the club’s hierarchy would be expecting. 

Indeed, while the total figure may seem like a lot of money, Chelsea may struggle to accept just €40m for Madueke, €35m for Nkunku or €25m for Renato Veiga. After all, the club paid a combined €109m for all three players and if they were sold at their current market value it would mean a loss of €9m. However, the unfortunate reality of the situation at Stamford Bridge is that the players that the club are looking to sell are also the very same players that have been overlooked for some time now and in that period of time their market value has dropped significantly. 

When we take a look at which Chelsea players have lost the most market value since joining the club, we can note a number of players that are seemingly up for sale this summer. Whether it be Chilwell (-€25m), João Félix (-€30m) Nkunku (-€30m) or Sterling (-€60m), many of the players the English club are hoping to move on in the coming months simply haven’t thrived since making the move to London. And, as a result, will almost certainly depart this summer for fees that are far less than what Chelsea may have expected or at least hoped for.