Chelsea appears poised to dominate Premier League headlines as the summer transfer window draws to a frenetic close. However, the spotlight is not on new signings, but rather on the potential exodus of players.

With the strategic vision of new manager Xabi Alonso firmly in focus, the club aims to trim down its lineup, especially in light of the absence of European competitions this season. Alonso, together with Chelsea’s top brass, faces a ticking clock with less than two weeks remaining to finalize their squad for the upcoming campaigns.

In this edition of Chelsea Confidential, we delve into the club’s strategy as they prep for their 2026-27 season opener against Fulham. A key focus is the array of expected departures as the transfer window slams shut on September 1. Brace yourselves—there’s likely to be a considerable shuffle.

The ambition for Chelsea is nothing short of monumental. In an ideal scenario, where every price tag meets its market value, the club aims for a staggering half-a-billion-pound turnover in player sales this week.

Here’s a sneak peek into the financial landscape: Nicolas Jackson comes with a £65 million price tag, Malo Gusto at £75 million, Pedro Neto nearing the £100 million mark, Liam Delap priced at no less than £50 million, alongside Axel Disasi and Marc Guiu, both valued at £25 million. Meanwhile, the heavyweight, Enzo Fernandez, demands a colossal £120 million, an evaluation we’ll explore more thoroughly in our following segments.

Add all that together and Chelsea are knocking on £460m alone before getting to the others who could yet leave permanently or temporarily, such as Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr, Aaron Anselmino, Mykhailo Mudryk, Omari Kellyman, David Datro Fofana, Caleb Wiley, Shim Mheuka, Deivid Washington and Benoit Badiashile, who is set to join Napoli on a £3.4m loan with a £23m option. If they all exited, it would easily take Chelsea over the £500m mark. 

Except, the market isn’t some magical utopia where asking prices are automatically accepted. Delap’s £50m price is steep for those Premier League clubs who saw his struggles last season. Gusto’s £75m valuation has already scared away some suitors. Neto being valued at close to £100m shows how highly he is appreciated inside Chelsea and could prove problematic for those interested if there is little wiggle room. 

Still, the sheer number of names above shows how hectic the end of this window will be for Chelsea. While they have been mocked for having such a large leadership set-up, it is actually helpful that the club have five sporting directors each overseeing their own areas, and a co-owner in Behdad Eghbali who is extremely hands-on unlike others elsewhere, because of the work they tend to get through in these windows. 

There are still 42 player profiles listed on Chelsea’s website for their senior squad. Disasi is not even among those shown on there, but it does include the odd academy representative, such as Reggie Walsh, whose loan move to League One Wigan is close to being announced. 

Chelsea’s director of finance is called Paul Ramos. He will have been with the club for 25 years as of next month. I can only imagine Ramos and the others in his department will need a stiff drink after sifting through the numbers over this next week or two. I might too.

Will Fernandez stay or go? Has his £120m valuation gone up after Chelsea’s deadline passed?

That’s been the £120m question of the summer. Maybe more than that now, because Chelsea sources speaking confidentially say valuations have indeed increased since they originally set theirs for Fernandez in late May. 

It is claimed those terms expired with their deadline at 5pm last Friday. Interestingly, Chelsea insiders have also told me that the money aside, it is now more about strengthening versus weakening the squad for them at this stage. If Fernandez were sold to City now, Chelsea would have limited time to recruit a replacement, and that is a major factor in their thinking. 

Because of all that, sources inside Stamford Bridge are saying today that they expect the 25-year-old Argentinian will end up staying. We’ll soon see.

Is is true Chelsea have enlisted Jorge Mendes to sort Fernandez’s exit?

Chelsea say there is no truth to claims that they have called in the super agent, Jorge Mendes, to help sell Fernandez. Mendes and his Gestifute agency did not respond to a request for comment when contacted. Mendes helped bring Fernandez to Chelsea from Benfica for £106.8m in 2023.

What happens next with Fernandez?

While Chelsea sources are saying he is expected to stay, I would never say never to a sale while the summer window remains open. It all depends. It depends on City and what they are willing to offer and how soon they make any move. It depends on Chelsea and what they are willing to accept and whether they think there is still time to reinvest. 

Fernandez is represented by Javier Pastore, the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder who appears to have lost a few friends this summer by being outspoken on his client’s future. 

The terms and conditions for a £120m sale were verbally communicated by Chelsea to Fernandez’s camp at the end of May following their 1-0 league loss at Sunderland which capped a subpar 2025-26. The club then waited for a bid to arrive in June and July – and nothing happened. They then set their own deadline for offers by Friday August 14 at 5pm – and nothing happened. Now the summer is nearly over. 

Chelsea would be strengthening a direct rival by agreeing to sell to City and potentially weakening themselves so late in the window. Speaking anonymously, one member of a midfielder’s camp who Chelsea could have targeted as a replacement for Fernandez told us they now do not think the Argentine will be sold as the time for that has passed. 

That seems to be the general feeling from those I’ve consulted. We have to wait and see if City change those minds. 

If Fernandez is still a Chelsea player come September, I would not even be surprised if we then hear talk of him agreeing new terms, perhaps with a contract which includes a release clause for next summer. Side note: Chelsea are already looking to announce more than one extension in the coming weeks, with Joao Pedro among those in line for a boost.

Who could Chelsea target if they sell Fernandez?

The time for recruiting a replacement may be running out, but there are contenders should Fernandez be sold. 

Chelsea have already bid for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott once this summer. They offered £64m for the 22-year-old midfielder in mid-July. Bournemouth rejected it, and reiterated that he is not for sale and has no set valuation. Chelsea haven’t suddenly stopped liking Scott because of that stance. 

Adam Wharton, also 22, has long been linked and there is admiration for him. However, Crystal Palace would not let him leave on the cheap, and Chelsea have already attempted to play down those links this summer. 

One new name I have heard is Martin Zubimendi, though recent checks at Arsenal suggested the 27-year-old is expected to stay at the Emirates Stadium. Alonso is a fan of Zubimendi and vice versa. They worked together at Real Sociedad B. They nearly teamed up again at Real Madrid. They share the same agent. 

Daily Mail Sport also reported this week how Chelsea showed interest in Morgan Gibbs-White earlier in this window, though Nottingham Forest have insisted publicly and privately that he is not for sale.

Best guess at a Chelsea XI for Fulham? And back three or four?

Here’s my stab involving the players currently available. Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Fernandez, Caicedo, Palestra; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro. 

As has been the case in Chelsea’s eight pre-season friendlies, I suspect Alonso will switch between a three and a four, depending on what he decides is best, game by game. He should have plenty of time to work on team structure at Cobham. 

The calendar shows Chelsea aren’t set to leave London until Everton away in the Premier League on October 17 – unless they beat Luton in the Carabao Cup and draw a club out of the capital for the following round, that is.

Will Chelsea sign another centre back?

Alonso told us he wants ‘four or five’ centre backs while we were in Sydney, Australia. When Chelsea signed Maxence Lacroix, they had 10 in total. 

Trevoh Chalobah has already been sold to Como, and Disasi and Badiashile should soon leave also. Tosin has interest from clubs in England and Europe – Benfica, managed by Marco Silva, formerly of Fulham, are among them – and Sarr likewise has options. If all those depart, that would leave five in Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, and Anselmino, who impressed in pre-season before picking up an unfortunate hamstring injury during a 3-3 draw with Johor Darul Ta’zim.

Are Chelsea in for Emi Martinez? Who is the No 1 goalkeeper?

Chelsea and Aston Villa do have a good relationship, so it’s a natural link to make, but I haven’t heard of any talks for Martinez after his move to Juventus fell through. Privately and publicly, Chelsea and Alonso have reiterated several times this summer that they are more than satisfied with Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders as their one-two. 

Alonso indicated to us during the tour that owing to his experience, Sanchez will start as his No 1. My guess is Sanchez will be in goal versus Fulham in the Premier League opener, then perhaps we will see Penders against Luton in the Carabao Cup. 

As for Villa, I could still see them making their move for Jackson, though they face competition from others in England and Europe. Jackson is one of those players whose valuation from Chelsea – £65m – is more than fair in my eyes.

Why are Chelsea pricing Neto out of a move?

Chelsea class Neto as an elite winger, and they value him highly enough to say they would want close to £100m to consider a sale this summer. Sources have said several times this summer that the prices of proven wide men have spiked in this window. 

Chelsea did not want to place an asking price on Neto when I asked last month, but they did tell me they were tracking the market, and particularly the situations involving Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid from RB Leipzig for a fee worth up to £120m, and Bradley Barcola, valued at north of £100m by PSG. 

Neto was used at right wing-back in Chelsea’s last friendly win over Real Sociedad, and while the 26-year-old performed well, it may not be his favoured position if Alonso wants to regularly use a 3-4-2-1 set-up. I have not heard that Neto has directly communicated a desire to leave Chelsea. He will still be one to watch in the build-up to September.

What happens with Mudryk?

I wrote a story two weeks ago that as soon as his suspension was lifted, Chelsea received multiple enquiries as to their plans for Mudryk for this season. Surprisingly so. Because nobody knew Mudryk’s level after so long out of the game. Not even Chelsea. 

They flew him out to Hong Kong to join their pre-season tour so he could be assessed by Alonso and Co. I also wrote in that story above that three Premier League clubs enquired with Chelsea, and one of those was Coventry, managed by Frank Lampard. 

Strasbourg have always been another safe option if Chelsea want to make sure he gets game time. I think we will see him leave on loan. Chelsea should receive a nice loan fee and have a considerable chunk of his wages covered, but more than that, those inside Stamford Bridge want to make sure the 25-year-old Ukrainian has the best support possible after what he went through. 

Playing regular football again would help his confidence, and that may be better found away from Chelsea in the coming season.

Prediction for this season?

Internally, Chelsea’s minimum target is to finish in the top four and to see where that takes them from there. Perhaps this is a tad optimistic, but I’ll predict they place second in the Premier League once 2026-27 is over, above Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City and below Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.