Chelsea’s attempts to make concrete plans for next season continue to be put on hold because Fifa are not close to ruling on the club’s appeal against their transfer ban.
The world governing body banned the Blues from buying players for the next two windows in March as a punishment for breaching rules over the acquisition of foreign minors.
Chelsea denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal in the hope it would get overturned, reduced or at the very least delayed, which Barcelona (delayed) and Real Madrid (reduced after going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport - CAS) achieved in the past.
Despite beginning in Zurich on April 11, a Fifa source has told Standard Sport that proceedings are ‘still ongoing’ and that a decision ‘isn’t imminent yet’, though some reports on Sunday morning claimed that a decision could be made this week.
Although the international transfer window doesn’t officially open until July 1, terms can be agreed between clubs before that date. Teams across Europe have already begun identifying and having informal talks about signing players.
While Chelsea have been putting different arrangements in place on the proviso of whether they can or can’t register new talent this summer, the lack of certainty means they are at a disadvantage compared to their rivals domestically and abroad.
Should the Blues lose their appeal to Fifa, they are expected to take their case to CAS. But it remains unclear whether they could get a hearing in time to get a positive verdict, which would enable them to still recruit in the close season, or if going to CAS puts the censure on hold while waiting for the process to be resolved.
Fifa’s ruling has come at a bad time for the club, who have failed to challenge for the title for a second year in a row.
They are currently 24 points behind leaders Manchester City and are unsure whether they will be playing Champions League football next season.
Chelsea are expected to lose their prize asset Hazard at the end of the campaign. He has just over one year left on his current deal, is not interested in signing an extension and wants to join Real Madrid.
