Chelsea could sell FOUR players to the same club in bid to balance books after £200m spending spree

Despite already generating approximately £120 million ($160m) in player sales, thanks in large part to departures for Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, and goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic, Chelsea's board has shown no intention of slowing down their clear-out. Now, according to reports in France via the Evening Standard, Chelsea are looking to sell four more players to German giants Borussia Dortmund.

The next player likely to leave Chelsea is 21-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who appears poised to return to Germany. After spending the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund, the youngster, who scored once in ten Bundesliga outings, is expected to complete a permanent move back to Signal Iduna Park for a fee in the region of £22m ($29m). That transfer is reportedly in its final stages and should be wrapped up before the end of the week.  

Dortmund are also said to be engaged in advanced negotiations for Tyrique George, Axel Disasi, and Renato Veiga, with all three reportedly on Chelsea’s exit list.

George, 19, enjoyed a promising breakthrough season at Stamford Bridge last term, netting three times across 26 appearances. However, with Chelsea having brought in a host of new attacking options, George is believed to be reconsidering his future. Dortmund see him as an ideal replacement for Jamie Gittens, who recently made a switch to Chelsea for £55m.   

Disasi appears to have fallen out of favour under new manager Enzo Maresca. He was conspicuously absent from the updated squad list released by the club this week. Similarly, Veiga, who joined Chelsea from FC Basel last summer before being sent out on loan to Juventus in January, is no longer part of the club’s long-term plans. The 20-year-old midfielder has reportedly drawn interest from Bayern Munich, as well as several clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but Dortmund are also pushing to add him to their ranks.   

The financial pressure on Chelsea stems largely from previous breaches of UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, which have forced the club to restructure its approach to spending. Though their summer outlay has again crossed the £200m mark, UEFA’s stipulation that the club must generate more from player sales than they spend means that more exits are essential. Meanwhile, Dortmund, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last term and 25 points adrift of champions Bayern Munich, are in clear need of reinforcements, and Chelsea’s talent pool offers just that.