adminLONDON. – Chelsea are not the only side who are struggling to sell their “deadwood” this summer, but Thomas Tuchel will realise his side can ill-afford such an affliction right now.
A report in The Telegraph suggests the German boss could also be stuck with unwanted players for the upcoming campaign because top-flight clubs are reluctant to strike a deal with the Premier League giants for their out-of-form stars.
Here, Sportsmail looks at what the future could hold for the half-dozen stars who the Blues are struggling to offload.
Michy Batshuayi – £69,000 per week
The striker was name dropped by Tuchel when the German appeared to offer every member of his bloated squad a clean slate earlier this week.
“For all of them [there is a chance],” Tuchel said. “Everybody has the chance now to show up. The big part of it is the players here are a nice, open group, which makes it very easy to feel welcome and show your best level.
“This is why the youngsters and players like Michy Batshuayi, who feel new in the group, have a big, big, chance. They are responsible for what they make out of it.”
Kenedy – £25,000 per week
The Brazilian can match Batshuayi for the number of loans away from Stamford Bridge since joining, but his latest spell away was less fruitful than the Belgian’s, scoring just once in 17 games for Flamengo before he was recalled in January.
Malang Sarr – £120,000 per week
Very much Antonio Rudiger’s back-up last season, Malang Sarr had a mixed season, capable of making a basic mistake despite looking assured throughout most of the match.
But the £34m arrival of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and ongoing negotiations for £55m Sevilla and France centre-back Jules Kounde means the door appears to be closing by the second on a breakthrough campaign for the 23-year-old.
Ross Barkley – £96,000 per week
The midfielder scored Chelsea’s final goal of last season with a match-winning header against Watford.
But it came at the end of another season in which he saw limited minutes, playing just 452 minutes in 14 matches across all competitions.
And pre-season has not been that productive either, having played out of position as a No 6 against Club America before a hamstring issue ruled him out of the game against Charlotte. He also missed the clash with Arsenal.
Timo Werner – £272,000 per week
The Germany striker is among the most underwhelming pieces of business conducted by the Blues in recent years, scoring just 23 goals in 89 games since joining from RB Leipzig in a £53m deal in 2020.
He has struggled to cement a place in Tuchel’s starting XI during his two seasons at Stamford Bridge. But now it appears he could have annoyed Tuchel with what he is doing off the pitch too.
Werner scored in the first pre-season game against Club America but like Barkley missed the second through a hamstring injury.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – £155,000 per week
Chelsea signed Spaniard Kepa back in 2018 for a world record fee of £71.6million, but he has found first-team opportunities limited in recent times.
Sportsmail understands Napoli have asked about taking the former Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper on loan, with the 27-year-old not part of the squad that took on Charlotte. – Mailonline.
Online Reporter