'Going to be an Arsenal player' - Why Chelsea have to sell Noni Madueke

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jul 2025 16:57 BST
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea's need to balance the books has 'opened the door' for Arsenal to make a move for Noni Madueke, according to a report.

The Blues are in the midst of yet another summer of heavy spending. Chelsea have already splurged a mind-boggling €244 million on new recruits, and it is thought that they are still not done.

Chelsea remain attentive to potential market opportunities, and they are likely to add one or two more marquee signings before the window slams shut.

This is nothing new, of course, with the current window simply a continuation of previous summers since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake takeover. However, Chelsea's approach of consistently splashing the cash comes at a cost.

Due to financial regulations in both UEFA competitions and the Premier League, Chelsea have to seriously consider offers for most of their stars, even the ones they would otherwise have no intention of selling.

Chelsea need sales

Just last week, Chelsea were hit with a brutal punishment for breaching UEFA's spending rules. The Blues received an initial fine of €20m that could potentially rise to as high as €91m.

More worrying still, Chelsea will be barred from registering new signings for the Champions League unless they end this summer with a positive balance, so they will have to sell players whether they like it or not.

To be sure, Chelsea are in a healthy financial position, and they have already earned over €90m from their Club World Cup campaign, but they still need to offload players, according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol.

Indeed, the need to balance the books is precisely why Chelsea have felt obliged to engage with Arsenal in talks over Noni Madueke, a player they are far from desperate to get rid of.

"I think it's a bit of a complicated situation regarding Madueke because he's played well for Chelsea since they signed him two and a half years ago from PSV Eindhoven for £29m," Solhekol explained.

"But it's been well documented that Chelsea have spent a lot of money in the transfer window already this summer, and they need to balance their books.

"When clubs like Arsenal ring them up asking about Madueke, I think Chelsea's position has to be that players are not officially for sale, but obviously if you want to put in an offer, put in an offer and we will judge it on its merits.

"I get the feeling that Madueke is going to be an Arsenal player this summer. The timing probably is not great for Chelsea because they're on a high after winning their semi-final at the Club World Cup."

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