Chelsea brutally strip academy product of shirt number & hand it to £54m new signing Pedro Neto to all-but confirm imminent exit

The 24-year-old Portuguese winger was unveiled to the Chelsea fans during halftime of their final pre-season match against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Neto, who had established himself as a key player at Wolves, wore the No. 7 jersey at his previous club. Since that number is already occupied by Raheem Sterling at Chelsea, he has been handed the No. 19 shirt, previously belonging to Broja.

Broja is tipped to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer after he was omitted from the squad for the final two pre-season matches and is attracting interest from several clubs across Europe. Premier League sides, as well as teams from Germany, France, and Italy, are reportedly monitoring his situation. Among the suitors, VfB Stuttgart have reportedly engaged in discussions with Broja and his representatives regarding a possible transfer to the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, AS Monaco had previously expressed interest earlier in the transfer window, but talks seem to have stalled recently.

Chelsea officially put out a statement regarding Neto's shirt number but refrained from mentioning Broja in the release which indicates that the striker will likely be sold in the next few weeks.

The statement read: "Pedro Neto will wear the number 19 shirt for Chelsea this season. The winger completed his move to Stamford Bridge from Wolves on Sunday, penning a long-term deal that will keep him with the Blues until 2031. The Portugal international was presented to the supporters at half-time during our pre-season friendly with Inter Milan.

"The full list of Chelsea squad numbers for the 2024-25 season will be confirmed on official club channels in due course, ahead of our Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday."

The restructuring at Chelsea is part of a broader overhaul that has seen the club emerge as one of the most active in the transfer market this summer. With 12 new signings already secured, Chelsea’s squad has swelled to nearly 45 players. However, the club is reportedly planning to offload up to nine more players before the transfer window closes on August 30, as per the Daily Mail.

Chelsea’s extensive transfer activity underscores their determination to build a squad capable of competing at the highest levels, even if it means making tough decisions regarding long-serving young talents like Broja.

As Chelsea prepare for their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday, Neto is poised to make his debut in blue. The Portuguese winger should be eager to justify the significant investment Chelsea made in him and to establish himself as a key player under Maresca’s guidance.