Five Chelsea stars Thomas Tuchel could sell this summer to raise millions for squad rebuild

Antonio Rudiger is no longer with us. Also Andreas Christensen. More departures from Chelsea are expected in the coming weeks as Thomas Tuchel rebuilds his first-team squad in a bid to reduce the gap on Man City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Tuchel understands that it will not be an easy task. Chelsea were required to wait until the Todd Boehly-led consortium's takeover was completed before making transfer market decisions, which is one of the reasons behind this. Another factor to consider is the number of players whose futures are in doubt.

Poor preparation led to the loss of two centre-backs on free transfers in the same window. Cesar Azpilicueta, who has a two-year deal, could be the next to leave.

There are other question marks over several members of Tuchel's squad, some of whom have just a year remaining on their respective contracts. It's for that reason that Chelsea may opt to cash in this summer rather than watch more players walk out the door for nothing.

And with a rebuild to help finance this summer, we have picked out five players from Chelsea's first-team squad that could be sold to ensure Tuchel has every chance to construct a group that is capable of competing across all competitions while staying loyal to his tactical ideals.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa received a seven-year contract worth roughly £190,000 per week when he joined Chelsea for £71.6 million from Athletic Club in the summer of 2018. It was a major gamble on the Blues' part, and one that hasn't paid off in subsequent seasons.

Kepa's form decreased in his second season, and Edouard Mendy was bought from Rennes in September 2020. Since then, the Senegal international has established himself as Chelsea's number one goalkeeper, forcing Kepa to play second fiddle for two seasons.

This is a position the Spaniard is said to wish to change this summer, with Lazio in Serie A showing interest in signing him. Chelsea will not come close to achieving this.

Marcos Alonso

Jorginho

Christian Pulisic

Timo Werner

It was lauded as a brilliant piece of business when Chelsea completed the £49.5 million transfer of Werner from RB Leipzig. After all, the striker has 93 goals in 158 Bundesliga appearances and was a fixture for the German national team.

Werner hasn't been able to carry his form over to the English game. He has only scored 23 goals in 89 games in his second season at Chelsea, and it was that lack of ruthlessness that led to the Blues investing £97.5 million on Romelu Lukaku, a transaction that has also failed.

Lukaku might leave Chelsea this summer, with the Belgian preferring a loan return to Inter Milan. Werner's future is less certain, but he has a bright future ahead of him.