Thiago Silva may not be the only central defender who leaves Chelsea this summer.
The Brazilian’s contract expires next month and he will join Fluminense once it is up.
That will leave Chelsea‘s next manager, which is expected to be Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, with Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana for the centre-back positions.
However, before the transfer window closes, it is not impossible that at least one of those names follows Silva out of the exit door.
Chelsea defender could move to Italy or Saudi Arabia
Chelsea are unlikely to sanction any sales before the arrival of their new manager.
Once he arrives at the club, then you are likely to see players depart Stamford Bridge.
The above could include Badiashile, who appears to be attracting interest from other clubs.
Journalist Simon Phillips recently claimed on Substack that Badiashile has “serious interest” from Italy and Saudi Arabia.
He only arrived at Chelsea last year, joining from AS Monaco in a £35m deal.
Should Chelsea sell Benoit Badiashile to Saudi Pro League club?
Being left-footed, Badiashile can give Chelsea good balance at the back.
The 23-year-old and Levi Colwill will give Maresca two options for the left centre-back role next season.
Having only joined the club in January 2023, Badiashile has not been at Stamford Bridge for too long. It is probably worth keeping him around for a bit longer and seeing if he can make a real impact in this team.
If everyone remains fit, Maresca will have options in central defence, so it will be interesting to see who starts.
It has been reported that Chelsea are also in for Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo, who is set to become a free agent, so that could be another name to add to the mix.
This season, the Blues conceded 63 goals in the Premier League, so there is room to improve defensively next term.
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