How Chelsea can raise more than €500m with player sales

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Chelsea are a club in crisis. Having spent more than €600 million in the transfer market last summer, the Blues find themselves in the lower half of the Premier League table, on a five-match losing streak and with no idea who their manager will be next season.

Their huge spend last summer puts them in a delicate position with regards Financial Fair Play going into the forthcoming transfer window and will mean that the squad needs surgery.

Thiago Silva has already complained that the Chelsea team is too bloated and needs closely examined.

Indeed, Chelsea could raise close to half a billion euros in player sales if they are able to get market value for their players, according to FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm.

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Both factors mean player sales, and Chelsea are ready to sanction there. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that the Stamford Bridge side do not see any members of their squad as indispensable, and each could be sold for the right price.

Who will Chelsea sell in the summer?

The most valuable player who could potentially go is Mason Mount at €74 million, closely followed by Kai Havertz at €72m. Chelsea fans may feel that both have been mismanaged to some extent, with Havertz not the striker he has often been used at, but this is good money for players who have ultimately been ineffective this summer.

A more controversial call could come with Reece James at €68m. The England international has been linked with a possible move to Real Madrid, and his ability to play on the right or centrally is a valuable asset. Although Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for their players, it would be surprising if he were to go.

Marc Cucurella is the only new signing to make this list at €56m. Signed for big money last summer from Brighton, there is a sense that he is not what Chelsea need at this moment in time.

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Matteo Kovavic, meanwhile, is linked with a move away, while a goalkeeper will surely go, with Edouard Mendy picked in this instance because of his greater resale value than Kepa.

The other players to be victims of this potential summer cull are fringe players who are unlikely to get much of a look in going forward, such as Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (€15.3m) and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (€10.7m) are also assets that could make significant funds.

Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) explained

Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world.

Read more here.

Our Player Valuation Model calculates an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) for more than 240.000 players in the world. It uses information on the player's skill, potential, performance, contract duration, position and other statistics to estimate an accurate ETV.

Read more here.

On top of this, it is also worth remembering they have players out on loan to add to this fund. Callum Hudson-Odoi, for example, is a player unlikely to have a future at Stamford bridge and yet has an ETV of €38.6m.

The pressure is now on Chelsea in the transfer market. Having failed to get value with their signings last summer, they have to make sure they do with their sales this time around, else they will find themselves in a very difficult position indeed.