Chelsea player ready to quit with Boehly prepared to take £60 million loss

A Chelsea player is aiming to leave Stamford Bridge and has his sights set on a specific destination, with chairman Todd Boehly also prepared to take a significant loss on him.

Players who could be sold by Chelsea this summer

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, who are spearheading Chelsea’s transfer plans this summer, have already made real progress in trimming Enzo Maresca’s squad so far.

Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson and Ian Maatsen have all left Stamford Bridge, bringing in around £84 million in the process, and there are many more squad members tipped to follow them out of the door.

Armando Broja, Malang Sarr, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Mykhailo Mudryk and Conor Gallagher are players who have been linked with Chelsea exits in the last few weeks alone, with the club making a concerted effort to find buyers.

Indeed, some reports have even claimed that Chelsea have offered Broja, Chukwuemeka, Ugochukwu and Chalobah to AC Milan during very recent talks over Romelu Lukaku.

The latter player is perhaps one man who Chelsea are desperate to get rid of. Lukaku, who cost the club around £98 million to re-sign from Inter Milan in 2021, has gone down as one of their most regrettable transfer mistakes in recent memory.

The Belgium star has spent more time away on loan than he has been donning the Blues jersey, having most recently enjoyed a season-long stint at Roma. Lukaku was back on a temporary spell at Inter the year before that, with Serie A appearing the striker’s ideal match.

Boehly has set Lukaku’s price tag at around £38 million, meaning Chelsea would be taking a £60 million loss if they find a permanent buyer. AC Milan have been locked in negotiations to sign Lukaku, as previously reported, but Antonio Conte could also offer him a fresh start at Napoli.

Lukaku wants to quit Chelsea for Serie A with Napoli now frontrunners

According to reports out of Spain, Napoli are now seen as the most likely destination for Lukaku over Milan, which is largely due to Conte’s recent arrival at the club.

While the Rossoneri have been in negotiations for a while now, they’ve apparently struggled to reach an agreement – clearing the way for Napoli to advance on a deal for Lukaku instead. Napoli have previously been linked with Lukaku as a replacement for Osimhen, with the 31-year-old of a similar ilk in terms of positioning and stature, though not quite as clinical.

Lukaku, for his part, is aiming to return to Serie A and prefers Napoli over Milan.

“Right now, he is one of the best strikers in the world,” said Conte on Lukaku in 2021, during their time at Inter together.

“He already had important physical and technical skills, but in these two years we have made him progress even more. His presence in the match, his teamwork and clarity in front of goal [has improved].”