Chelsea are poised to finally offload two high-earning flops this summer in a move that will shave £23million off their wage bill, with potentially another £43m to come later this summer. The Blues are reportedly on the verge of finalising a deal to terminate the remainder of Malang Sarr’s contract and could soon approve Romelu Lukaku’s move to Napoli.
Lukaku – who is contracted at Chelsea until 2026 – hasn’t appeared for the club since May 2022 and was left out of the club’s US tour this summer. A third spell in the Serie A now looks likely.
The Belgian striker has already agreed personal terms, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, with only the clubs left to negotiate a fee in the region of £35m. With his departure, Chelsea are selling one of their biggest earners even after Lukaku reduced his weekly wage from £325,000 a week to £200,000.
Sarr has been earning £100,000 a week since arriving on a free transfer from OGC Nice in 2020. But the French defender has struggled for game time and has been sent out on loan to Porto and Monaco during his time at Stamford Bridge.
A January move to Le Havre was scuppered at the last minute, but Sarr is set to move on to join RC Lens. Along with Lukaku’s salary being removed from their weekly wage bill, Chelsea are set to save £23m on their annual wages by getting rid of the duo.
Lukaku and Sarr won’t be the last players to leave this summer, however, with six more departures expected as Enzo Maresca builds for the future. The club’s sporting directors are looking to raise funds in order to comply with PSR in 2024-25 and they could get as much as £40m off the books with six more departures.
The player most likely to leave next is fans’ favourite Trevoh Chalobah. The 25-year-old played an important role under Mauricio Pochettino last season, but Chelsea have made it clear they are intent on selling the centre-back after he turned down a £25m move to Nottingham Forest.
Chalobah signed a new five-year contract in 2023 and could choose to see out his £80,000-a-week deal, but it appears more likely he will find another club, despite objections from fans at Stamford Bridge. Likewise, Carney Chukwuemeka could be sold if a tempting offer arrives for the Aston Villa trainee, who earns £100,000 a week and cost £20m to sign in the summer of 2022.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is waiting on Real Madrid to resolve their situation with Andriy Lunin before deciding his future, but the 29-year-old has already seen a prospective move to Al-Ittihad collapse after Chelsea rejected a bid from the Saudi Arabian outfit. Still known as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, Arrizabalaga earns £6.2m a year and has entered the final year of his contract.
Rumours persist that Ben Chilwell could be a surprise casualty of Maresca’s possession-based system, and given the England international’s injury-prone record in west London, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him head for the exit.
The club’s vice-captain is among the top earners with a £200,000-a-week pay package and that may be harder to justify after he played 13 Premier League games in 2023-24. Reece James is a much more valuable asset as far as the club are concerned, but even the Cobham graduate cannot afford to get too comfortable due to his own string of injury problems.
Even Raheem Sterling will be watching over his shoulder this summer at developments, with Saudi Arabian clubs interested in signing the former Manchester City star. Chelsea could be tempted into a sale if they receive anything close to the £47.5m they invested, with Sterling largely a disappointment since his high-profile switch and hefty £16.9m annual salary.
If Chelsea manage to get rid of all seven players, they will have trimmed their wage bill by over 20 per cent, handing Maresca the financial power to pursue his top targets this summer.
Who Chelsea could offload this summer?
Raheem Sterling, £325,000 weekly wage, £16.9m a year
Ben Chilwell, £200,000 weekly wage, £10.4m a year
Kepa Arrizabalaga, £120,000 weekly wage, £6.2m a year
Carney Chukwumueka, £100,000 weekly wage, £5.2m a year
Trevoh Chalobah, £80,000 weekly wage, £4.2m a year
Total: £42.9million
