Chelsea now open to selling ‘well-liked’ player for a ‘substantial’ bid this summer due to FIFA rule

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While a lot of the recent focus on Chelsea has been around transfer incomings, it’s also clear they need to do a lot of work on outgoings to trim down the squad.

The Blues have added a number of new faces to the group already this summer, including Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. Incidentally, Enzo Maresca has hinted at Pedro’s potential Chelsea debut in their Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras on Saturday.

There are a number of high-profile players not with Chelsea’s group at the Club World Cup whose futures need sorting, though.

Chelsea head coach Maresca wants a first-team squad of 22 or 23 players to work with next season, so it’s pretty obvious that individuals will need to be moved on.

• READ MORE: Champions League club sense a chance to sign £29m Chelsea player, he’s now almost certain to leave

Chelsea would like to sell Lesley Ugochukwu

Chelsea signed highly-rated midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes two years ago, but the latest speculation suggests he could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old Frenchman spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Southampton, suffering relegation from the Premier League. Now, he’s linked with a permanent exit.

According to BBC Sport, Ugochukwu is attracting loan interest in the summer window.

It is explained that Valencia and Hamburg have made loan enquiries for Chelsea’s defensive midfielder. However, another Premier League loan is deemed the most likely scenario as teams monitor the situation.

The report says that Chelsea would prefer to sell Ugochukwu, especially if they can attract a ‘substantial’ bidder. The club are cautious about overseas loans, as FIFA rules limit all clubs to just six such loans outside of their domestic divisions.

Even though Chelsea would prefer to sell Ugochukwu, a domestic loan would be the club’s second preference. It’s likely an overseas loan would only be sanctioned late in the window if the first two options don’t happen.

Reports a year ago claimed that Chelsea saw similarities between Ugochukwu and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni. If you skip to the modern day, it feels like he’s slipped right down the Blues pecking order and the midfield competition at Stamford Bridge has gone to another level.

Lesley Ugochukwu is popular at Chelsea

It’s interesting to flag recent claims that Ugochukwu is well-liked at Chelsea and rated, but he’s competing in an area of the pitch where the Blues are stacked.

Even though we wouldn’t mind seeing Ugochukwu get another chance around the Blues’ senior squad, it’s hard to find the room.

Chelsea’s midfield depth now includes Moises Caicedo, Dario Essugo, Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos going into next term. Based on Ugochukwu’s ability and potential, he would be a positive signing for most Premier League clubs looking to reinforce.