Chelsea are preparing for a massive clearout with less than two weeks until the September 1 transfer deadline, as the club are open to selling up to £500m worth of players to trim Xabi Alonso's squad for his first season in charge.
The Stamford Bridge club face Fulham in their 2026-27 Premier League opener, without European football on their schedule. Chelsea have faced mockery for their large leadership setup, but the club consider their five sporting directors and hands-on co-owner Behdad Eghbali helpful for the workload. Director of finance Paul Ramos, who marks 25 years at the club next month, is also overseeing the window.
Chelsea currently have 42 player profiles listed on their website for the senior squad, which does not include defender Axel Disasi. The club have set high valuations for their players, aiming to raise nearly £460m from six key figures alone if asking prices are met.
Enzo Fernandez expected to stay
Chelsea sources expect Enzo Fernandez to remain at the club after a 5pm deadline for offers passed on Friday, August 14, without a bid arriving.
The club verbally communicated terms for a £120m sale to the 25-year-old Argentinian's camp at the end of May, following a 1-0 league loss to Sunderland that capped a subpar 2025-26 season. Chelsea waited for a bid in June and July, but nothing happened.
Fernandez is represented by Javier Pastore, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder who has been outspoken on his client's future. Sources say Fernandez's valuation increased over the summer, but Chelsea are reluctant to sell to Manchester City late in the window. Club insiders say a sale would strengthen a direct rival and leave limited time to recruit a replacement.
A member of a targeted replacement midfielder's camp said they no longer think Fernandez will be sold. If he stays, Chelsea may offer new terms including a contract with a release clause for next summer. Forward Joao Pedro is also in line for a contract extension in the coming weeks.
Chelsea denied claims they enlisted the Gestifute agency and Jorge Mendes to help sell Fernandez. Mendes brought the midfielder to Chelsea from Benfica for £106.8m in 2023, and did not respond to requests for comment.
Despite the deadline passing, Chelsea had identified potential replacements. Bournemouth rejected a £64m bid for 22-year-old Alex Scott in mid-July and reiterated that he has no set valuation and is not for sale. The club admire Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, 22, but Palace would not let him leave cheaply, and Chelsea have attempted to play down links.
Alonso is a fan of 27-year-old Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi, having worked with him at Real Sociedad B. The pair nearly teamed up again at Real Madrid and share the same agent, though recent checks suggest Zubimendi is expected to stay at the Emirates Stadium. Chelsea also showed interest in Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, but Forest have insisted publicly and privately that he is not for sale.
Valuations set for Neto and Jackson
Chelsea value winger Pedro Neto at close to £100m, pointing to a spike in the market for proven wide men. The club tracked the market, particularly Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid from RB Leipzig for up to £120m, and Bradley Barcola, valued at over £100m by Paris Saint-Germain.
Neto, 26, performed well at right wing-back in Chelsea's final friendly win over Real Sociedad, though it may not be his favoured position in a 3-4-2-1 formation. He has not directly communicated a desire to leave.
Striker Nicolas Jackson is valued at £65m and is attracting interest from Aston Villa and clubs in Europe. Malo Gusto is priced at £75m, which has scared away some suitors. Liam Delap is valued at at least £50m, a steep price for Premier League clubs who saw his struggles last season. Disasi and Marc Guiu are priced at £25m each.
Defenders and Mudryk to depart
Alonso said during a pre-season tour in Sydney, Australia, that he wants "four or five" centre backs. Chelsea had 10 when they signed Maxence Lacroix. Trevoh Chalobah has since been sold to Como, and Benoit Badiashile is set to join Napoli on a £3.4m loan with a £23m option.
Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Mamadou Sarr are also expected to leave. Benfica, managed by former Fulham boss Marco Silva, are among the clubs in England and Europe interested in Tosin, while Sarr also has options.
The departures would leave Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong and Aaron Anselmino, who impressed in pre-season before picking up a hamstring injury in a 3-3 draw with Johor Darul Ta'zim.
In goal, Alonso and Chelsea have reiterated privately and publicly that they are satisfied with Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders. Sanchez will start the season as first choice owing to his experience, and is expected to start against Fulham, with Penders potentially playing against Luton in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea and Aston Villa have a good relationship, but there have been no talks for Emi Martinez after his move to Juventus fell through.
Winger Mykhailo Mudryk is expected to leave on loan following the lifting of his suspension. Nobody at Chelsea knew the 25-year-old Ukrainian's level after his time out of the game, and the club flew him to Hong Kong to join their pre-season tour to be assessed.
Three Premier League clubs, including Frank Lampard's Coventry, have enquired about Mudryk. Strasbourg is also a safe option for game time. Chelsea expect to receive a loan fee and have a considerable chunk of his wages covered, while ensuring he receives the best support to rebuild his confidence.
Other players who could leave permanently or temporarily include Omari Kellyman, David Datro Fofana, Caleb Wiley, Shim Mheuka and Deivid Washington. Academy representative Reggie Walsh is close to a loan move to League One side Wigan.
Chelsea have played eight pre-season friendlies, with Alonso expected to switch between a back three and a four, and he will have time to work on team structure at Cobham. The team could line up against Fulham with Sanchez in goal; Reece James, Lacroix and Colwill in defence; Neto, Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Palestra across the midfield; and Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers supporting Joao Pedro.
The team do not leave London until they play Everton away on October 17, unless they draw a team outside the capital after the Luton match. Internally, Chelsea's minimum target is a top four finish. Predictions suggest they could finish second, above Enzo Maresca's Manchester City and below Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
