Uncertainty and Chelsea’s slow sale means Rudiger departure may not be the last

As Chelsea continue to come to terms with the news Antonio Rudiger will be leaving in the summer, there is a danger his departure could be the shape of things to come.

The club have been wrapped in uncertainty since
Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale in
February, days before being sanctioned by the UK
government over his links to Russian president
Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.
The bidding process has provided many twists and
turns, although the soap opera reached new heights on Friday afternoon.

In the space of just a few hours, news broke that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had made a proposal worth £4.25
billion at the 11th hour. Meanwhile, the groups led
by Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton had
been informed by Raine, the bank running the sale
process, that their attempts to buy Chelsea were over.

Todd Boehly’s consortium thought it had won it,
then feared Ratcliffe’s late arrival might threaten the victory, only to be informed it will be put forward to the UK government as the preferred bidder after all.

Ratcliffe’s bid remains a looming presence, though it has likely come too late.

Premier League giants Chelsea could be set to face a more frustrating summer than they originally anticipated as rumors have started to surface that key members of the Blues under Thomas Tuchel could be targeted for transfers amid off-field chaos at Stamford Bridge.

According to reports in The Athletic by Chelsea correspondent Simon Johnson the club’s uncertain future amid an impending takeover has seen top clubs across Europe start considering a group of Blues players as transfer options. viable while taking advantage of the situation off the pitch.

Chelsea are already set to lose Antonio Rüdiger to Real Madrid this summer after the Germany international decided not to extend his stay under Tuchel next season, but the former standout player for VfB Stuttgart and AS Roma may not be the only player wanting to leave. deal.

Recent links have put Romelu Lukaku in the sights of La Liga giants Barcelona as a third transfer option, with the Catalan club unlikely to be able to convince Erling Haaland or Robert Lewandowski to come to Camp Nou for a variety of reasons. Barca are also said to be confident of securing deals for César Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen this summer (according to The Athletic), and a triple-hit for the Chelsea assets could be difficult for new owners to replace as they stand.

But now Cobham academy stars Mason Mount and Reece James are both attracting increased attention from home and abroad as England’s top clubs eye the two Three Lions internationals, while Real Madrid are also tracking James.