Ekitike swap, new goalkeeper bid, £60m Victor Osimhen plan - Chelsea transfer stock take

Chelsea are ready for yet another summer of drama. With the Club World Cup to follow international matches immediately after the Premier League, some of the players really will feel like there is no line between 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Enzo Maresca might have the same view. He is 12 months into the job and knows that despite securing a return to the Champions League, things are only just getting started.

The expectations are about to rise and scrutiny on his performance will increase.

That is the direction of travel Chelsea are taking.. The months leading up to it even more so. But where do we stand? Well, here, football.london goes through the current squad by position and assesses what is going on.

As is always the case with these things, what Chelsea might do and what might be the right thing are two entirely entirely different concepts. This is just the lay of the land right now.

Goalkeepers: Decide the first choice and trim

Chelsea will start the summer with a lot of goalkeepers on the books but the decisions ahead are pretty simple. He won't have Conference League football to be rotated into next season so whoever is second choice will surely depart.

Then comes Djordje Petrovic. His return from RC Strasbourg on loan will see Sanchez properly pushed.

Interest from France and Italy has already been reported. Jorgensen could stay and be second fiddle but really needs some more senior games under his belt. An exit just 12 months in, be it on loan or permanently, cannot be ruled out.

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Then there is teenage giant Mike Penders. He will also travel to America to be looked at but due to his age,

A new goalkeeper has been floated with links to Lucas Chevalier and Mike Maignan. That would be a last resort at this point with Sanchez and Petrovic to fight over the main spot first.

What is left behind is a lot to sell. His £5million release clause will not stand in the way of ending a tough stay at SW6. There are a host of academy players to sift through with most of them either heading on loan to the EFL of departing.

Lucas Bergstrom could reasonably become third choice in place of Marcus Bettinelli, but the latter is well liked at Cobham and has no reason to leave. Bergstrom would be a fine Championship stopper. Ted Curd and Eddie Beach are straddling youth football and senior growth. Teddy Sharman-Lowe just helped Doncaster Rovers to promotion. All three could spend some time away from Chelsea next season.

Defenders: New centre-back and sales

A new defender is on the list of summer priorities with names like Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi, and Jorrel Hato all being prominently linked.

The latter only has 12 months left on his contract but is still attracting attention from Newcastle United. Branthwaite has two years to go and was the subject of interest from Manchester United at around £75million last summer.

Chelsea need to find cover for Levi Colwill on the left with Benoit Badiashile rarely used in the Premier League. The Frenchman has been committed to Chelsea through speculation of a move to Milan in the past.

. He is among the highest-rated young defenders in the country and would be taking a step towards senior football like Josh Acheampong just has.

He could seek experience elsewhere on loan if the chance presents itself. Acheampong is behind Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, and Wesley Fofana on the right side. He can also play at full-back, where he has Reece James and Malo Gusto for competition.

Chalobah has long been expected to leave Chelsea, even in January when he was recalled. However, Maresca made him a key part of the backline in 2025 and Chelsea may well settle on having his versatility in the squad. Chalobah is on a long-term contract and the need for Chelsea to sell has been reduced after they secured Champions League qualification.

So will Ben Chilwell. Along with Badiashile, it could be more out than in. Fofana has also been at the centre of rumours but he is injured and on large wages having cost a lot of money in the first place.

It would be a surprise if he left. Chelsea might consider trying to use him sparingly like they have done with Romeo Lavia and Reece James in the past year in order to help him get back to full fitness.

Midfielders: Integrate and deploy

Andrey Santos was signed in January 2023 and has spent most of the past two-and-a-half years (other than six months at Nottingham Forest) showing why he is ready to make an impact.

Dario Essugo will also join the club, presumably for the Club World Cup in America.

The pair will add to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Lesley Ugochukwu could come back from Southampton to bring even more energy and drive across four competitions (plus the unwanted and premature trip to USA) but that is less certain.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's future is not so much in doubt. He will be available to clubs who are interested after hardly making a mark since his £30million move in 2024.

Carney Chukwuemeka is also up for sale. He has a £40million release clause which is not expected to be met after his continued problems with staying fit. Borussia Dortmund, it is said, are not keen to use him as part of a deal for Jamie Gittens.

The midfield otherwise has itself sorted. Adding Santos and Essugo (possibly Ugochukwu) brings in at least two battling players who can slot straight in to flesh things out and provide rotation options for Maresca.

Attackers: Reinforcing and revamping

This is the most complex part of the field for Chelsea. The attack splits opinion and has the most moving parts. It is no exaggeration to say that only two of the seven forwards who ended the season at Chelsea could still be there come September 1.

Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto look the most likely with Noni Madueke the next closest, although reports of the club being open to selling him have emerged. Other than that, the whole front line is in a state of flux.

Liam Delap is all-but a Chelsea player, but they aren't necessarily done there. Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko, and Viktor Gyokeres are all of interest.

Ekitike is the man of the moment with suggestions that Chelsea are leading the race for him ahead of Liverpool.

What would buying a second striker do for Nicolas Jackson? It is hard to see how three strikers co-exist at Chelsea next year, especially when they would all be between 22 and 24. Having two plus Marc Guiu or Shumaira Mheuka for rotation and cup competitions feels more feasible.

Jackson can argue he deserves a shot to get back to his 2024 levels having not been supported by a senior No.9 in either of his first two seasons, something which has clearly had a draining effect on his game. Sesko, for what it's worth, is being heavily pushed at Arsenal.

Gyokeres might be the most available elite striker but there are questions over his suitability to the Premier League as well as his age and financial demands. The same goes for Victor Osimhen. At £60million, his initial sum is not huge but the wages are. Chelsea could not find a reasonable standing with him last year and it isn't close to happening now either.

It is on the wings that things are even more tricky to work out. Chelsea are negotiating a new contract with Jadon Sancho having worked on his deal at Manchester United during this loan. Sancho would need to accept a sizeable pay cut to fit into Chelsea wage structure.

If Chelsea do find a middle ground with Sancho, who is happy at Stamford Bridge, then they will owe United £5million to send him back, effectively an additional loan fee for the last year. It will cost £25million to buy him outright.

Sancho is one of two right-footed left-wingers on the books right now but that remains the position Chelsea have turned their attention to. Mykhailo Mudryk is still suspended provisionally having tested positive for having a banned substance in his system. An update on his future and the results of a B-sample are yet to emerge.

The 20-year-old is on the market for £50million after Dortmund qualified for the Champions League. Chelsea want to get him over the line and onboard before the Club World Cup.

It is unclear how things would play out with Gittens if Chelsea signed Sancho permanently. Kendry Paez will be assessed over the summer.

Tyrique George and Paez could head out on loan with Chelsea keen to develop both of them. The returning players such as Armando Broja, Joao Felix, and Raheem Sterling can all expect to be sold.

Chelsea and Christopher Nkunku are also set to go their separate ways. It could be a massive period of change in attack with winger talk being the biggest current talking point. How it all pans out, though, is still up in the air.