Chelsea consider paying off Ross Barkley to leave the club this summer

Chelsea are looking to offload Ross Barkley and could even pay him off to leave the club this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Barkley was involved in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States of America, but he is yet to feature in any of Thomas Tuchel’s Premier League squads this season.

The 28-year-old has one year left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge but has fallen out of favour at the club despite being on a huge salary package worth around £200,000 per week.

The report claims new Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is now considering offering the ex-England international a huge payoff to get him off the club’s wage bill this summer.

Barkley’s fall from grace was unprecedented, having been regarded as one of England’s brightest talents during his Everton days.

From being compared to English legends such as Paul Gascoigne and Wayne Rooney, the forgotten Chelsea man has only shown flashes of his talents after experiencing a drastic decline over the years.

He was sent out on loan to Aston Villa during the 2020/21 campaign to get first-team minutes under his belt and recover his once admired blistering form again.

However, a hamstring injury restricted him to just 18 starts in his 26 league appearances for Dean Smith’s side, where he recorded just three goals and one assist.

Barkley returned to Chelsea and barely made up the numbers before making a surprise return to the Blues’ first team last season, where he made 14 appearances in all competitions.

He even scored in the 2-1 final day victory over Watford.

However, he has once again found himself exiled at the club, and his fate at Stamford Bridge has now been sealed.

Chelsea have been active this summer as Todd Boehly looks to restore Chelsea to the pinnacle of world football by continuing to invest in all tiers at the club post-takeover.

The American has splashed the cash heavily this summer, bringing in an array of talents, including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Gabriel Slonina and the impending Wesley Fofana.

The Blues are also expected to complete some outgoing transfers before the window closes, and Barkley is one of those set to leave this summer.