The Saudi Pro League and PIF have now moved in with a £125,000-per-week contract offer for a "top" Chelsea player to join one of their clubs this summer, and if things go according to plan, he could be on the way out fairly soon.
Players who could still be sold by Chelsea before deadline day
Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Ian Maatsen have already left Chelsea in the last few weeks, bringing in around £89 million in total for Todd Boehly and BlueCo as they seek to trim Enzo Maresca's squad.
£25 million forward likened to Luis Suarez holds talks to join Chelsea
He’s been highly praised by Joe Cole.
ByEmilio GalantiniJul 18, 2024
Having spent near-£120 million already this window, which includes the incoming arrivals of Caleb Wiley from Atlanta United and Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors (The Athletic), Chelsea have done well making a large portion of that total back through player sales.
However, to err on the side of caution in regard to PSR regulations, the club may well have to agree more exits before deadline day on August 30. Chelsea are still in the market for a new star winger, and potentially a striker, so ridding the squad of unwanted players will be a necessity to both make room and raise funds.
Cole Palmer
7.48
Conor Gallagher
7.13
Nicolas Jackson
7.07
Moises Caicedo
6.85
Noni Madueke
6.84
Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, Malang Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher and even Raheem Sterling have all been linked with Chelsea exits within the last few months, so there are plenty of candidates.
Another player widely tipped to leave is goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, especially in the last week. Reports in Spain claim Kepa really wants a move to Real Madrid, after he spent 2023/2024 on loan at the Bernabeu, but a move could hinder on whether Galacticos president Florentino Perez manages to extend Andriy Lunin's contract.
The 29-year-old is also attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, with The Athletic recently revealing that Al-Ittihad had an initial bid for Kepa turned down.
Al-Ittihad offer Kepa £125,000-per-week deal
The Saudis, lead by PIF, remain in talks over a deal for Chelsea's keeper – and journalist Rudy Galetti has shared details on the contract they're offering him. According to the journalist, writing on X, PIF have offered Kepa a £125,000-per-week contract to join Al-Ittihad from Chelsea.
It'll be interesting to see how Kepa responds to this offer, as the Spaniard is believed to be on £150,000-per-week at Chelsea, so he'll have to take a pay cut. Called a "top, top" player by Thomas Tuchel, things just haven't quite worked out following the shot-stopper's record-breaking £72 million move from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
