Mauricio Pochettino isn't pulling any punches this summer as he prepares to streamline the Chelsea squad. The 51-year-old was announced as the Blues' next head coach on Monday afternoon, signing an initial two-year contract with the option for a third.
While Pochettino doesn't officially begin his role until on July 1, he appears to have already sanctioned several departures. N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount have all been heavily linked with exits lately, however it is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who will reportedly be the first player out of the door.
Hakim Ziyech was just a technical error away from swapping Stamford Bridge for Les Parc des Princes in January, while Marc Cucurella has been far from impressive. But, once the Argentinean gets his feet under the table at Cobham training ground, two other Chelsea stars are expected to leave shortly after Aubameyang.
READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino already has dream Christian Pulisic transfer replacement amid £52m agreement
The duo who are lined up to leave west London next are Joao Felix and Christian Pulisic. In January, the former signed on a six-month loan deal with the Blues but, as football.london exclusively revealed, an obligation-to-buy was not included.
Even if Chelsea did insert an option to buy the 23-year-old forward, Pochettino doesn't want him at Chelsea next season anyway, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo. football.london understands Felix has loved his time in London and was eager to stay beyond the expiry of his loan.
However, the former Tottenham boss was not on the same wavelength. The Atletico chief said: "We've been informed that Pochettino does not count with Joao Felix for Chelsea. He will return here, we'll see. We have nothing planned."
As for Pulisic, he faces an increasingly uncertain future at the club with his contract set to expire at the end of next season. While the United States international has produced glimpses of great potential, he's struggled to nail down a place in the Chelsea starting lineup under several managers now.
The winger's chances of forcing himself into Pochettino's plans look slim too, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke expected to be preferred on either flank – not to mention Raheem Sterling too! Nevertheless, Chelsea are considering whether to cash in on Pulisic for £20million, according to ESPN.
The report states that Juventus are leading the race to acquire his signature, though they face tough competition from Napoli, AC Milan and Newcastle. ESPN add that Manchester United and Galatasaray have also been made aware of the American's availability, so it seems like Pulisic won't have much of an issue finding a new home this summer...
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