BREAKING: Timo Werner among 15 Chelsea players ‘transfer listed’ as part of brutal summer overhaul.
Thomas Tuchel is eager to dramatically reduce the size of his first-team roster before the season, thus Chelsea is experiencing an eventful summer transfer window with arrivals and departures.
In order to trim its playing roster in preparation for the upcoming season, Chelsea could let go of up to 15 players under the direction of Timo Werner.
Raheem Sterling arrived from Manchester City for £50 million plus add-ons, and Kalidou Koulibaly, who cost £33.8 million (€40 million), was the Blues’ second summer acquisition. Chelsea is currently hoping to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla and Prisnel Kimpembe from Paris Saint-Germain.
When Werner said: “It is clear I want to play more and I should play more to first be in excellent shape for the World Cup and, also, to have a chance to play at the World Cup,” he gave a hint as to a potential departure from Stamford Bridge this summer. The departure of the German international may be the most notable one during a busy summer at the club.
While Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid as a free agent after his contract at Stamford Bridge expired and Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on loan for the 2022–23 season, Barcelona has already announced the addition of Andreas Christensen to their first-team roster. The exits won’t probably end there though.
Cesar Azpilicueta, the club captain of the Blues, and Marcos Alonso are two players that Barca are still hoping to bring to Camp Nou as part of their efforts to restructure the team.
Should Kounde and Kimpembe arrive, defender Levi Colwill—an England Under-21 international who excelled at Huddersfield Town last season—will also look for first-team opportunities elsewhere. Emerson Palmieri, Ethan Ampadu, and Baba Rahman, three additional defenders who spent the previous season on loan, will also be moved on once more, maybe on permanent departures.
Tino Anjorin, who has had loan stints at Lokomotiv Moscow and Huddersfield, is also expected to leave Stamford Bridge. Billy Gilmour, who played for Norwich City last season, also appears to be headed for another loan transfer.
Tiemoue Bakayoko may leave Chelsea permanently; despite being on loan at Milan, the Frenchman has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal to join Marseille. He hasn’t appeared for the club since the 2018 FA Cup final.
Ross Barkley, who played just six times in the Premier League last year after spending the 2020–21 season at Aston Villa, and Kenedy, who made three appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s team after returning from a loan stint at Flamengo, are two other Blues players who are certain to leave this summer.
While Armando Broja, who shone for Southampton last season, is set to sign a permanent deal to join West Ham, Michy Batshuayi, who scored 14 goals while on loan at Besiktas last season, will leave the club either on loan or permanently this summer.
Hakim Ziyech’s future is also in question; in his two seasons with the team, the Moroccan has made just 29 Premier League starts.
