Keep, loan or sell? The players Chelsea should allow to leave in the 2023 summer transfer window

An academy graduate who Chelsea should certainly be looking to keep, but it's looking unlikely. Pochettino is keen to work with Mount, but the Blues are struggling to convince him to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge amid interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Romelu Lukaku's future is set to be one of the most polarising topics of the summer among the Chelsea fanbase; should they keep him given their desperate need for a striker, or should they let him go?

It has been rumoured that Pochettino is open to working with the Belgian, and given the limited centre-forwards available this summer, relying on a Rom-ontada may be the club's best hope of success. He has hit form towards the end of the season in Italy, but he will need to do a hell of a lot to win over the fans after his outbursts during his most recent spell at Stamford Bridge. The best way to do that is by scoring goals.

Without a doubt, it's time to bring Aubameyang's nightmare spell with Chelsea to an end. The ex-Arsenal striker saw the manager who actually wanted him, Thomas Tuchel, sacked just a week after he had signed and barely featured for the Blues thereafter. Time to swiftly move on.

The jury will be out on Sterling's time at Chelsea following an indifferent debut season at Stamford Bridge, although he still struck nine goals and laid on four more in 2022-23. What isn't in question, however, is the England winger's commitment to the cause, and his experience will be vital in what is guaranteed to be a mightily important season in the club's transition.

With Pulisic within that bracket of players who are entering the final year of their contracts, the USMNT star will be at the front of the queue for the exit door in the upcoming clearout. Though he has shown his obvious ability in flashes, this is a transfer that ultimately hasn't worked out, and you'd imagine the player will be as keen to leave as the club are to be rid of him.

Pulisic is out of favour at Chelsea having failed to ever really nail down a starting place. Still just 24, there is plenty of time for the winger to establish himself elsewhere and kick-start his club career ahead of the 2026 World Cup in his home country.

It has been rumoured that Thiago Silva has grown disillusioned with life at Chelsea amid the chaos of the nightmarish 2022-23 season, but despite him being 38 years old, he remains one of the Blues most important players.

Thankfully, Silva's wife Belle has since insisted that the defender is very happy at Stamford Bridge, although the club would not stand in his way if he wanted to return to boyhood club Fluminense.

Very few Chelsea supporters would have wanted to see Azpilicueta leave when he flirted with a move to Barcelona last summer. While he eventually stayed, the decision to hand the club captain a two-year contract is looking like a mistake.

Whenever he was called upon in 2022-23, it seemed as though the Spaniard's powers were on the wane, often looking well off the pace as he struggled to come anywhere close to his previous high standards. Chelsea have a decision to make in the summer; cash in while they still can, or let their captain leave in a year's time having played a bit-part role. Given the need to trim the squad immediately and Malo Gusto's arrival this summer, there is a clear choice.

This really is a matter of opinion, and there will be many among the Chelsea fanbase who are prepared to cut their losses on Havertz. However, he has always been a big-game player, and there is the potential for the attacker to be unleashed under Pochettino's management. The man who scored Chelsea's 2021 Champions League winner is worth at least one more season.

Kovacic has been a loyal servant for Chelsea over the past five years but - just as was the case for his midfield colleague Jorginho in January - he is a player whom the club should be looking to move on without.

The owners' policy will be to shift players entering the final year of their contracts, and that puts Kovacic firmly in the shop window with plenty of top clubs already expressing an interest.

It has not been a smooth transition to the Premier League for ex-Napoli stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly. He was expected to sit among the finest central defenders in the division, but he has looked a shadow of the player who was so dominant in Serie A.

Opinion will be divided on the best course of action with Koulibaly, as Chelsea could probably recoup a significant chunk of the £34m ($41m) fee they paid for him last summer. However, an injury to Benoit Badiashile means Chelsea could well be short of options at centre-back come the start of next season, and the aforementioned Thiago Silva's future is also uncertain.

Ziyech was denied a Chelsea exit at the 11th hour in January as an administration error saw a move to Paris Saint-Germain agonisingly fall through. He is almost certain to be granted his wish this summer, though, although it remains to be seen whether PSG will be his destination.

The Moroccan wizard has never truly endeared himself to the supporters or shown the kind of form that led to the Blues splashing the cash on him in 2020, with his languid style often perceived as a lack of care or desire. The time is right for all parties to move on.

One of a host of new signings to have struggled at Chelsea this season, Cucurella buckled under the pressure of his exorbitant price tag, seeing his defensive ability called into question after a number of lapses.

However, his versatility makes him a useful defensive tool if he is used in place of or in tandem with Ben Chilwell in a back five. If he can recapture the form he showed at Brighton in 2021-22 under Pochettino, Chelsea will have a real player on their hands.

A new goalkeeper is on the agenda for Pochettino, with Chelsea certainly in need of a world-class shot-stopper between the sticks. Kepa had a good season all things considered, but he is not an elite-level goalkeeper in all departments and does not deserve the indignity of playing back-up to a new signing. It's time to attempt to recoup some of that eye-watering £72m ($90m) fee.

There is arguably still space for Hudson-Odoi in the Chelsea squad and Pochettino may decide that he wants to utilise the versatile winger. However, an unsuccessful loan with Bayer Leverkusen which followed another injury-hit campaign means he is probably out of the picture, and the best thing for his career could be to move on.

As a player whose contract expires in 12 months' time, he will likely be one of those who Chelsea will try to shift this summer.

The season was a slow burner for Gallagher after his outstanding loan at Crystal Palace in 2021-22, but he has battled hard and emerged as a key player under Frank Lampard.

It's unclear whether he will command such a significant role in midfield once the summer is out, but he has proven that he can be relied upon at his parent club and should expect to get plenty more game time under Pochettino.

Loftus-Cheek has now had back-to-back seasons in and around the starting line up at Chelsea, and unfortunately it is definitively the right moment to move on. It's now evident that he is never going to be a regular starter in the Blues' midfield, and he deserves to be playing every week at a club that is perhaps better suited to his level. It just wasn't to be.

Edouard Mendy's form has fallen off a cliff and he looks a shadow of the goalkeeper who helped Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League trophy. Pochettino could keep him as a back-up option, but having hit such heights, Mendy will surely be keen to move on.

Though he is still not the finished article as a defender, Chalobah has proven himself to be a useful option at the back, especially given his versatility. The academy product has excelled as a right-back in the injury absence of Reece James, and it seems likely Pochettino will view him as an asset. You need quality depth to compete.

That's right, Bakayoko still has a whole year to run on his Chelsea contract - which means the club will be desperately trying to get rid for a paltry fee in the summer. A loan move to AC Milan hasn't been the tonic to his woes in west London, and there is absolutely zero chance of a renaissance.

The Blues will hope they can recoup some tiny morsel of the £35m ($43) they paid for him in 2017 to bring the nightmare to an end.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chukwuemeka has found his opportunities limited at Chelsea this season as a relatively inexperienced option among an overinflated squad. While he has obvious potential and the imminent squad clearout will likely see plenty of midfielders leave, the former Aston Villa youngster will still be down the pecking order at a point in his development where he needs game time. A Premier League loan would make the most sense for all concerned.

Despite plundering goals with Molde in Norway, Fofana has found the going tough in the Premier League since joining Chelsea in January.

A loan within Europe would make the most sense for the 20-year-old - potentially in a top-five league - to give him the best chance of finding his feet. There is certainly talent there.

A player with unquestionable potential for whom there is already talk of a first-team place next season, but Chelsea will need to be patient with 19-year-old Andrey Santos as he adapts to the rigours of the English game.

It's possible he could be kept at the club, but given there are plans to pursue a new No.6, it would perhaps make more sense for him to go on loan again following his spell back at Vasco da Gama - this time perhaps in Europe.

Ampadu is another player whose contract expires in 2024, and as such he will probably be moved on this summer. The Welshman has enjoyed two solid loans in Serie A with Venezia and Spezia in the lower reaches of Serie A, but is feels very unlikely that he will be seen as a first-team option at Chelsea going forward.

It speaks volumes that Sarr was in and out of the Monaco team while on loan, before a muscle injury ended his season. The defender has undergone surgery, which will likely push him even further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

This always seemed like a transfer with a view to making a profit down the line, and it could be time to cash in this summer after Sarr's forgettable Chelsea stint.

Much will depend on the future of Cucurella, but Maatsen could prove to be a worthy replacement should he be given the opportunity. As it stands, though, Chelsea should be thinking about sending the Dutchman back to Burnley after his outstanding loan there this season.

His contract situations needs to be resolved, but if he continues on the same trajectory, he should be ready to take his place among the first-team squad for 2024-25.

Signed to much fanfare from Inter last summer, Casadei was tearing it up in the development squad before being shipped out on loan to Reading. He had plenty of game time there, gaining some valuable experience despite the club's relegation.

Another Championship loan or a temporary move to a lower-table club in the Premier League or Serie A should follow for a player who has been starring for Italy at the Under-20 World Cup.

Though he isn't ready for a first-team breakthrough, Slonina has demonstrated his ability in the development squad and with this U20 national team. It's probably time to get him some regular first-team football in Europe.

Given his potential, he fits within the parameters of Chelsea's new loan policy.

If you thought Bakayoko was the nadir of this list, think again. Rahman is set to enter his eighth year as a Chelsea player, with all of 23 appearances under his belt. The Ghanaian defender suffered relegation at the end of the 2022-23 campaign with Reading, and that will almost certainly bring the curtain down on his career at Stamford Bridge as he prepares to enter the final 12 months of his deal.