Chelsea still have major transfer decisions to make before the summer window closes, with Xabi Alonso’s squad far from settled despite a busy August of departures.
Benoit Badiashile has completed his loan move to Napoli, but several more senior players could follow him out of Stamford Bridge before the 1 September deadline.
Chelsea’s focus has increasingly shifted towards exits after another summer of recruitment, and five situations stand out heading into the final days of the window.
Axel Disasi
Disasi currently looks the closest to leaving Chelsea.
Crystal Palace have reached an agreement for the France international to spend the season at Selhurst Park, with the defender expected to undergo a medical before completing the move.
It represents a major change from earlier in August, when ReadChelsea reported that West Ham had agreed a permanent deal for Disasi but the 28-year-old wanted time to assess his options.
That patience appears to have produced another route across London.
The latest Standard report on Axel Disasi’s Crystal Palace move says the deal is now agreed and a medical is planned.
With Maxence Lacroix arriving this summer and Chelsea attempting to reduce an overloaded centre-back group, Disasi’s departure would be no surprise.
Marc Guiu
Guiu’s position has also accelerated.
The 20-year-old is considering three potential destinations, with interest coming from Italy, Spain and Germany as Chelsea decide whether to sanction another loan or sell permanently.
Napoli are particularly interesting.
The Italian champions have opened contact over Guiu and are considering a permanent transfer rather than simply borrowing the striker.
ReadChelsea has already tracked Guiu’s increasingly uncertain Chelsea future after he was left without a first-team squad number.
Reports now value him at around £25million, while Napoli’s interest gives Chelsea the possibility of banking a substantial profit on a player signed from Barcelona for £5m in 2024.
The latest Marc Guiu transfer update says he is actively weighing three options.
Nicolas Jackson
Jackson could become one of the biggest Chelsea sales of the final week.
Aston Villa are expected to make an approach if Ollie Watkins completes a move to Al Hilal, with Chelsea valuing the Senegal international at around £65million.
Sky Sports reports that Villa are preparing to move for Jackson if Watkins leaves.
There is already groundwork for a deal.
ReadChelsea reported that Jackson had opened the door to joining Aston Villa earlier this month, potentially reuniting him with Unai Emery.
João Pedro’s emergence as Alonso’s first-choice No.9 and Chelsea’s considerable attacking depth leave Jackson facing a difficult route back into the starting side.
The major question may now be whether Villa create the financial space to meet Chelsea’s valuation.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk remains one of Chelsea’s most complicated transfer situations.
The winger has agreed that a loan would benefit his return to regular football, but Chelsea and the player have yet to settle on the right destination.
Leeds have now made an opening loan proposal, which Chelsea rejected, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Mudryk is understood to favour remaining in the Premier League rather than joining Strasbourg.
That preference is significant because ReadChelsea previously reported Mudryk’s decision to accept a Chelsea loan exit.
The latest Leeds approach for Mudryk gives Chelsea another option, but the priority should be finding a club capable of giving him regular minutes.
Tosin Adarabioyo
Tosin’s position is less advanced than the other four, but his Chelsea future remains worth watching.
The defender has attracted interest from Benfica and other clubs, while his squad number has changed from No.4 to No.38 following Valentin Barco’s arrival.
That does not guarantee a departure, but it adds to the uncertainty surrounding Alonso’s defensive group.
ReadChelsea reported Marseille’s interest in Tosin earlier this month, with Chelsea prepared to reassess their position depending on other defensive departures.
The wider issue is numbers.
ReadChelsea has already examined Alonso’s attempt to cut Chelsea’s huge centre-back group, and Badiashile leaving does not completely solve that problem.
Disasi looks increasingly likely to follow him.
Whether Tosin does the same could depend on how aggressively interested clubs move during the final week.
Chelsea’s final week is about exits
Chelsea do not desperately need another wave of additions.
Their bigger challenge is creating clarity.
Alonso has inherited a squad with significant competition in almost every position, and carrying too many players without realistic routes to minutes benefits nobody.
ReadChelsea previously analysed the problems created by Chelsea’s squad clear-out, with the final days of the window always likely to become decisive.
Disasi appears closest to leaving, while Guiu, Jackson and Mudryk all have credible routes away.
Tosin is less certain.
The next week should reveal just how much smaller Alonso’s Chelsea squad will become before the transfer window finally closes.
