The fire sale could easily top £200m. There is nothing more destructive for any manager than to have big-name players around the club knowing that they have no chance of playing because they have not even been registered.
It is the Felix deal which will sharpen the focus for Chelsea to move players on – and yet they will need to be clever negotiators. The problem is that other clubs will be able to see Chelsea coming from a mile off.
They need to sell – and fast. That will mean other clubs will be determined to drive a hard bargain.
Even Napoli’s former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, hardly known for his patience, has made it clear that he thinks the £26m offer is not enough and has stamped his feet in frustration. But the problem is that Napoli and the rest believe they can do deals on the cheap because Chelsea have to sell.
There is genuine interest in Osimhen but a deal for one of European football’s most coveted strikers cannot happen unless Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart know they can move players on. England left back Chilwell has been frozen out by Maresca and now he could leave with a loan move most likely at this late stage but Chelsea would listen to offers of around £25m.
Sterling, 29, has made it clear that he is committed to Chelsea, has three years left on a mega contract and does not want to leave. Kepa has been training on his own, did not even make the list of players on the match programme and No2 keeper Djorde Petrovic is in a similar position.
Carney Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for around £20m but has struggled to live up to his promise as a youngster through the England ranks. Maresca even said publicly that the 20-year-old needs games to progress his career and Chelsea would be open to a permanent move but a loan seems more likely with Premier League rivals likely to be keen.
But, even more intriguing, is how on earth Chelsea will look after the transfer window shuts – and how will they line up? With ten days of the window left, that still looks far from certain.
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