Following Todd Boehly's recent visit to the Middle East, speculation has arisen regarding Chelsea's potential sale of players from their sizable squad to Saudi Arabia. Boehly's meeting with Michael Emanelo, the director of the Saudi Pro League, has ignited discussions.
Emanelo has a history with the English club, having served as a technical director in Chelsea's boardroom from 2011 to 2017.
Last summer, the Blues saw success in offloading players like Kalidou Koulibaly, N'golo Kante and Edouard Mendy to the Saudi League. With the club's financial struggles related to Financial Fair Play Regulations, making further deals with the Saudi league could provide Boehly with much-needed funds.
According to reports from One Football, several players are expected to leave the club. These include:
- Kepa Arrizabalaga, currently on loan to Real Madrid. With goalies Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovik settled in with the squad, it is conceivable that the Blues are prepared to let him go.
- Trevoh Chalobah, a failed transfer attempt to Bayern Munich on deadline day was followed by a botched trade to Brentford. There could be another attempt by Brentford in the summer window, so Chalobah is a likely candidate to be offloaded if there isn't a decent deal from other candidates. The Blues have tried to move him the past two windows and he has made just one appearance after being sidelined by injury.
- Romelu Lukaku, presently on loan at Roma. The Belgian striker has expressed a desire to return to Inter Milan on a permanent basis, but Chelsea was initially unwilling to sell him at a reduced price. Recent updates from Fabrizio Romano indicate the club has now set a price of €40 million for Lukaku, nearly one-third of his original fee. Lukaku is under contract until 2026.
However, Boehly's trip to Riyadh might be about more than just players. Riyadh Air is one of the few contenders to become the club’s new shirt sponsor in place of Infinite Athlete.