Chelsea 'press ahead' with transfer plan as Maresca gets tough

Cameron Smith

Updated: 1 Aug 2025 09:35 BST
4 min read

Chelsea are reportedly “pressing ahead” with their plan to offload the current members of their ‘bomb squad’, despite their pursuit of both Jorrel Hato and Xavi Simons.

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The Blues are on the verge of bringing Hato and Simons to west London before the start of the new Premier League season, but they are also prioritising player sales due to the bloated nature of Enzo Maresca’s squad.

Current ETV

Jorrel Hato

D (L)

Ajax

Jorrel Hato

D (L)

Ajax

ETV Range

€41.6M - €50.8M

Academy star Ishe Samuels-Smith and €52 million flop Joao Felix are the latest stars to have departed Stamford Bridge on permanent transfers, with Maresca’s side now “pressing ahead with a fire sale to balance the books.”

That is according to The Evening Standard, who state that Chelsea are determined to offload the remaining members of their ‘bomb squad.’

In addition to Samuels-Smith and Felix, Chelsea have also sold Noni Madueke, Djordje Petrovic, Mathis Amougou, Bashir Humphreys, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcus Bettinelli since the transfer window opened on 1 June. However, they remain eager to trim down the first-team squad at Enzo Maresca’s disposal.

Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja have all been deemed surplus to requirements by the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge, while Alfie Gilchrist, David Datro Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nicolas Jackson have also been linked with permanent exits.

Furthermore, Mamadou Sarr, Aaron Anselmino and Marc Guiu are all expected to leave Chelsea on loan for the duration of the 2025-26 campaign, with the latter close to completing a move to newly-promoted Sunderland.

Mike Penders and Kendry Paez have both completed a season-long loan move to Strasbourg and they are expected to be joined by Sarr, who starred for the Ligue 1 outfit last term before signing for Chelsea in June.

© IMAGO - Chelsea are eager to sell Raheem Sterling this summer

Chelsea to sign Jorrel Hato and Xavi Simons

Hato and Simons are both expected to join Chelsea this summer, with the former reportedly undergoing his medical on Friday and the latter pushing to complete a move to Stamford Bridge.

Hato is set to be deployed as a back-up option to Marc Cucurella at left-back next term, while Simons is likely to provide depth across the forward line.

The Netherlands duo will reportedly cost an initial combined price of €110m, although this figure could increase if add-on clauses are met.

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