A £200,000-a-week Chelsea player is now certain to leave the club during the January transfer window, according to a report.
Chelsea expecting a quiet January
The Blues are not expected to be particularly busy this month, having spent big in almost every other transfer window under Todd Boehly, but there could be a couple of departures to raise funds for their summer business.
One player who could be shown the exit door is Carney Chukwuemeka, with the midfielder failing to force his way into Enzo Maresca’s plans, and he has now been identified as a potential target by former club Aston Villa.
There is a £40m release clause in Chukwuemeka’s contract, which Chelsea are referring to, although Villa are currently unwilling to match that figure.
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The 21-year-old is not the only midfielder who could depart this winter, with Cesare Casadei also potentially on his way out, having been picked out as a target for a number of clubs in the Serie A.
As many as five Blues players could be set to leave the club this winter, and Sky Sports have now dropped an update on the future of Ben Chilwell, who has found it extremely difficult to force his way into the team this season.
Sky Sports report that Chilwell is certain to leave the club this month, having been frozen out of the squad, failing to even make the bench for all of Chelsea’s Premier League games.
The left-back has received just 45 minutes of game time in all competitions, with that coming in an EFL Cup tie against Barrow way back in September, and his time at the club is now coming to an end.
Correct decision for all parties
Chilwell was a regular starter for the Blues at one point in time, but they have clearly been unaffected by his absence from the squad so far this season, given that they are in a strong position to return to the Champions League.
That does not mean the Englishman is a bad player, and he could flourish at another Premier League club, having once been lauded by Frank Lampard for his impressive performances in a Chelsea shirt:
However, the 28-year-old is now at a stage of his career where he needs to be playing regular first-team football, and that is clearly not going to be the case at Stamford Bridge, given that Marc Cucurella has made the left-back spot his own this season.
Chilwell is one of the highest earners in the squad, raking in £200k-per-week, and selling him this January will free up funds for Maresca to strengthen other areas of his squad.