Chelsea sale now! Blues aim to recoup £200m by selling NINE players after Pedro Neto became their 12th summer signing for £54m

Chelsea are hoping to raise more than £200m by selling players as they enter the final stages of another extraordinary transfer window that has left rivals wondering how the team can continue to spend so lavishly without retaliation.

The £54m transfer of Pedro Neto from Wolves this weekend was their 12th of the summer, but it won’t be their last. In fact, Atletico Madrid’s muscular striker Samu Omorodion was supposed to be next through the Stamford Bridge revolving door, but negotiations collapsed on Sunday night. Attention has shifted to a familiar face in Atletico’s Joao Felix, one of several options being considered, and they still want a striker like Napoli’s Victor Osimhen before the August 30 deadline.

It is clear to see that Chelsea spent £1.5 billion in the Todd Boehly era.

So how many players do they need? Under Graham Potter there were so many players that they had to make changes in the corridor. Now there are over 50 registered in the squad and coach Enzo Maresca likes to work with a group of 25, so there is plenty of room for negotiation.

Chelsea hope to raise £200m from player sales before transfer window closes

The London club completed a £54million deal to sign Pedro Neto from Wolves over the weekend

With the deal for the Portuguese forward now complete, Chelsea’s summer spending has risen to a staggering £199m

Despite all the finger-pointing, Chelsea continue to insist they meet the Profit and Sustainability Rules for 23/24 and are on track for 24/25. There are no internal concerns about whether they can stay within the limits, hence what they see as an achievable mission to raise £200m.

A step in that direction was taken yesterday when Benfica’s Diego Moreira was sold to sister club Strasbourg for £1.7million.

Romelu Lukaku, who is keen on a move to Napoli, Trevoh Chalobah, an option for Crystal Palace, and Armando Broja, who is on Stuttgart’s wish list and is admired by Wolves, are already training with the club’s academy squad and are expected to be signed for around £70million.

The ‘bomb squad’ ban was also handed down to Conor Gallagher before he accepted his £35m move to Atletico Madrid, but while that deal has been in place since last week, it now hinges on Atletico being sold. Tensions are running high following Omorodion’s transfer collapse, with the 20-year-old still an option for West Ham, Bournemouth and Wolves, but Joao Felix has shown himself willing to drop wage demands to at least facilitate his side of the deal.

But it’s easy to see how the west London club has spent £1.5 billion in the Todd Boehly era

Samu Omorodion should have been next, but his transfer failed

Chelsea’s attention now appears to have shifted to Atletico Madrid star and former loanee Joao Felix

Benfica free agent Diego Moreira has been sold to Strasbourg for £1.7million

Romelu Lukaku, who wants to join Napoli, could be another player to leave the club this summer

Trevoh Chalobah is also seen as an option for Crystal Palace, with the defender’s contract expiring in 2028

Armando Broja is also on Fulham’s wish list after spending last season on loan at the Blues’ West London rivals

Wages are key to Chelsea’s bookkeeping. Boehly and Clearlake inherited a squad on average wages of around £200,000 a week, but now contracts are heavily incentivised with their basic salaries below last season’s Premier League average of £70,000 a week. Bonuses are huge, comparable to elite clubs, but Chelsea need to win trophies and qualify for the Champions League to trigger those numbers.

Should Felix sign, there will be questions surrounding Raheem Sterling’s role under Maresca. He earns around £300,000-a-week, so it’s understandable that he could be another sale to consider, but despite cautious enquiries from Juventus, Chelsea have no active plans to sell, with the 29-year-old reportedly ready to prove his worth again.

Ben Chilwell’s situation could be different, however. The English left-back has been firmly on the fringes of Maresca’s plans so far and may not make it into their Premier League squad.

Newcastle United are keeping an eye on winger Noni Madueke, while another Palace target, Carney Chukwuemeka, could go for £30m. Leicester City are interested in David Fofana, Cesare Casadei is attracting interest and defender Bashir Humphreys is wanted by Leeds United and Burnley.

Newcastle United are closely monitoring the situation of Chelsea winger Noni Madueke

Meanwhile, another Palace target, Carney Chukwuemeka, could be sold for around £30m

Conor Gallagher’s £35m transfer to Atletico Madrid now also depends on the sale of the LaLiga club

Chelsea continue to insist they meet the profit and sustainability rules for 23/24 and remain on track for 24/25

Boehly has secured 11 summer signings with an average age of under 21, and has spent £185m since June. The owners’ vision is about investment with resale value, not just stockpiling talent. The next 18 days could be a litmus test of that ethos.

When asked about Chelsea’s plight last week, Maresca said: ‘This is not just a Chelsea problem, this is the rules. It’s the problem of all Premier League clubs.’