‘A number of casualties’ now expected this summer at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea could wave goodbye to a number of players in the summer transfer window, journalist Pete O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT.

Graham Potter’s side have spent big in both the summer and January windows this season and O’Rourke expects there to be plenty of departures at the end of the season.

Chelsea transfer news

According to Transfermarkt, Chelsea have signed a whopping 16 players since the summer window, either as permanent moves, or loans.

The same website details Chelsea’s spending as having eclipsed the £550 million, with Todd Boehly and Co. having splurged over close to £300 million in the January window alone.

Their final signing of the January window perfectly illustrated Chelsea’s new approach to spending big on talent, with Enzo Fernandez joining the club for a British record transfer fee (Sky Sports).

Fernandez, who has barely played 30 matches in European football, joined the Blues at the 11th hour on deadline day for an astronomical £106.8 million.

The move overtakes the previous British transfer record of £100 million paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish 18 months earlier.

High risk, high reward? Well, that remains to be seen, but in the aftermath of Chelsea’s record-breaking spending spree, attention has already switched towards who might be forced to leave the club come the end of the campaign.

What has Pete O’Rourke said about players leaving Chelsea?

While accepting Chelsea had done well to bring such high calibre players to Stamford Bridge in the January window, journalist O’Rourke has shared concerns surrounding their ability to offload unwanted talent in the summer.

Speaking in an interview with GMS, O’Rourke hinted that a fire sale could take place at Chelsea over the summer.

On the potential for departures from Chelsea, O’Rourke said: “But I think with that, on the flip side, there’s going to be a number of casualties at Stamford Bridge with the number of players leaving, as well as probably players coming in this summer.”

Who might be leaving Chelsea in the summer?

One man who was meant to be leaving Chelsea in the January window was Hakim Ziyech, but a proposed loan move to Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly at risk of collapsing, as the correct paperwork wasn’t submitted on time (BBC Sport).

Ziyech had already shunned offers from Premier League clubs, according to reports, with his future, be that this season or next, likely to come away from Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere, Conor Gallagher had been mooted as another potential casualty of Chelsea’s spending spree, with Everton having reportedly submitted a bid before the January deadline (Fabrizio Romano).

A move for the midfielder didn’t materialise, but with the addition of Fernandez, Gallagher could now find game time hard to come by.

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