Todd Boehly ‘orders Chelsea players to agree to his ultimatum or be sold’ with 15 at risk
According to reports, Todd Boehly, the owner of Chelsea, has warned 15 players that they may be sold if they do not agree to stay at Stamford Bridge for at least three years.
Since Boehly and his Clearlake Capital Group acquired the club from Roman Abramovich in May of last year and have made significant investments, the team will need to sell some players to accommodate any further new signings.
Todd Boehly’s spending since taking over as Chelsea owner has caused some surprise, as the team has spent over £500 million on 16 players in the past two transfer windows. Many of these players have been given long-term contracts, indicating Boehly’s plans for the future of the team.
It appears that Boehly expects the same level of commitment from some of his current players, according to a report in the Telegraph. He plans to encourage players with less than three years left on their contract to extend their contracts, and those who do not may be sold.
This could affect up to 15 players whose contracts expire by 2025. The most pressing concern is midfielder N’Golo Kante, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Talks about extending his contract have been ongoing, and there is hope that an agreement will be reached.
There are also several players whose contracts expire in 2024, including Thiago Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, and Mason Mount.
However, it is expected that Silva and Azpilicueta will be exempt from the risk of being sold due to their leadership roles at the club. Aubameyang, on the other hand, is likely to be leaving the club soon.
The remaining five players may need to sign new contracts soon or start considering new clubs. Among them, Mount and Kovacic have been linked with Premier League rivals.
Surprisingly, there are some notable names in the 2025 cohort who could see their Chelsea careers cut short if they do not commit to new contracts. These players include Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Hakim Ziyech, whose futures at the club are potentially uncertain.
While Chelsea may be willing to let Ziyech go after his close call with a move to PSG in January, they are not likely to be as keen on parting ways with players such as Havertz and Chilwell.
It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold, especially as Chelsea is expected to be one of the busiest clubs in terms of transfer activity in the upcoming windows.
Todd Boehly ‘orders Chelsea players to agree to his ultimatum or be sold’ with 15 at risk
